The Destiny of Three 3 (TPS)
by bi-time-lord
Summary: Having been separated for a whole year because of the Master the Doctor and Rita are back, their relationship now stronger than before, with Martha no longer aboard the TARDIS the Doctor and Rita have been left to travel in the universe alone. That was until they met Donna Noble for the second time.
1. The Destiny of Three

**And here is the 3rd book in the Parallel Series,** ** _The Destiny of Three_** **I'm very excited for this one because it includes my favorite companion. ;) The whole of** ** _Voyage of the Damned_** **which is a massive 4 part chapter will all be out on Monday (new years day) hopefully in the early hours. After that the schedule will be going back to the one I had for quite a while before Christmas: One part on a friday one on a Monday and hopefully (If I have time) I will be uploading a part on Wednesday as well. This all depends on how much free time I have from College once I get back.**

 **I hope everyone had a good Christmas and has a happy new year!**

 **I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. Only the storyline I created and my own OC. This will contain spoilers from the show. This is also the third book in the Parallel series. I recommend reading the first two books before starting this one.**

 **The Stone is in her tenth regeneration. She has shoulder length blonde hair that she normally keeps down, any changes will be mentioned, she is 5'4" which in comparison to the Doctor she just comes up to his shoulders.**

 **Typically from day to day the Stone wears a plain buttoned-up white blouse with a black blazer over the top with matching plain black trousers, she also wears black vans**.

The Doctor and the Stone are the last of the Time Lords once more after the Master and previously the Prime Minister was shot and killed by his own wife.

However, he wasn't the only one to have been shot by Lucy, the Ninth Stone died as well and regenerated into the Tenth. A blonde with a Welsh accent who rather likes a little too much salt than she ought to have.

Now they are alone on the TARDIS for the second time, no longer friends but actually dating the Time Lords meet an old friend who joins the two in the TARDIS.

Some would call it a coincidence, they call it Destiny.


	2. Prologue

The Doctor went to press a button to put the shields back up after the 5th Doctor had reminded Rita to remind his current self to do just that. There suddenly was the sound of a ship's horn just as the Doctor placed his hand over the button causing the two to crash to the floor.

"What?" They both gasped looking up and seeing the massive hole and what looked like the front of a ship sticking in the side of the TARDIS. "What!"

The Doctor picked up the ship ring and turned it over reading it 'Titanic' "What?"

The Doctor then jumped over the rubble and adjusted the controls forcing the TARDIS wall to reform as Rita materialised the TARDIS inside the ship.

"Want to go and take a look?" He raised a brow grinning while holding out his hand.

"Do you even have to ask me twice." Rita laughed grabbing his hand and running around the console with him to the doors. They stepped outside and Rita rolled her eyes at the confined space.

"Come on you can complain later." He laughed seeing the look on her face, dragging her through the rooms to a reception. They stood watching the people enjoy champagne and food, as well as people, move around the busy reception. The Doctor and Rita walked through the reception noticing the golden skinned statues that looked like male angels. One of them slightly moved while they walked past causing Rita to raise a brow. They walked towards a mirror and noticed a small red-skinned alien in a dinner jacket causing Rita to frown due to thinking she was on the actual Titanic. The Doctor then chuckled wrapping an arm around her waist while looking out of the window into space.

"Right." He nodded. Rita looked over and started to laugh.

"I thought-" she said before bursting out with laughter on the Doctors shoulder.

"I know." The Doctor laughed. "So did I." He paused looking out at the stars. "How about we go back to the TARDIS change and then come back and have a wander around?"

"You make it sound like your asking me on a date Doctor." Rita laughed.

"Maybe." He then coughed slightly. "Maybe I am."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes then kissed his cheek. "You just want an excuse to see this me in a dress don't you?" She smirked at the look on his face.

"N- no." He stuttered making Rita laugh and place a hand on his cheek. "Sweetheart either way I would love to." She kissed him before dragging him away laughing and not understanding that how after so long she still could make him practically melt.

As they headed back to the TARDIS an information message was made through the speakers. "Attention all passengers. The Titanic is now in orbit above Sol Three, also known as Earth. Population, Human. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Christmas." They walked back into the TARDIS and Rita headed straight to her room. She had to start to experiment with her new body not having any idea of what to wear. Luckily the TARDIS was just perfect with millions and billions of clothes to choose from. After around 30 minutes Rita smiled in the mirror having found a plain black dress which went down to just below the knees something Rita was thankful for. She placed a pair of black slip on shoes and smiled in the mirror happy with her choice, she never really liked the colour black in her previous body, or any other bodies she had but this was a whole new body, whole new Rita. She was prepared for a bit of change.


	3. Voyage of the Damned

Rita walked into the console room, her golden blonde hair curled ever so slightly and let to flow loosely, the Doctor spun around at the sound of footsteps and his mouth dropped before he forced it closed swallowing hard. "Well?" She raised a brow smirking at the shocked look he gave her.

He shook his head slightly and blinked. "You look beautiful." He softly replied taking her hands after walking towards her. "Never really saw you in a black dress before. It suits you."

"You think?" She giggled as he spun her around.

"Oh yes, it definitely does." He smirked kissing her cheek.

"Well, you don't look so bad yourself, quite handsome." She smoothed his shoulders down as he gently grabbed her waist pulling her closer. "Now I can't help but notice that you don't have your tie on." She raised a brow at him. "Either you have become very lazy, you can't do it properly or you just want me to do it for you."

"All of the above." He chuckled.

"Of course." She rolled her eyes taking the bow-tie resting loosely around his neck and began to tie it up and then fix it for him.

"I never liked this tie." He muttered watching her sort it. "Always gets us into trouble."

"That's just us sweetheart." She chuckled. "I quite like it." She added. "I remember someone somewhere told me that bow ties were cool, can't remember when or where, but that is a bowtie, therefore, you are cool." She kissed his cheek while patting his shoulder. He shook his head chuckling at her as he entwined his fingers with hers while they walked out of the TARDIS together. The pair walked back to the Reception their arms now linked as they quietly watched the people enjoying themselves around them.

"Merry Christmas, sir, ma'am."

"Merry Christmas." The Doctor and Rita smiled at a steward before walking off wondering around. They walked past a man who angrily spoke into his phone. "It's not a holiday for me, not while I've still got my vone. Now, do as I say and sell."

The pair glanced at each other before walking up to the angels from before. "Evening. Passengers fifty-seven and fifty-eight." He gestured to himself and Rita. Terrible memory. Remind me. You would be?"

"Information. Heavenly Host supplying tourist information." It replied.

"Good, so, tell me, because I'm an idiot, where are we from?" The Doctor asked.

"Information. The Titanic is en route from the planet Sto in the Cassavalian Belt. The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures."

"Titanic." Rita hummed. "Who thought of that name?"

"Information. It was chosen as the most famous vessel of the planet Earth."

"Did anyone happen to know or mention why it is the most famous vessel?" Rita crossed her arms raising a brow.

"Information. All designations are chosen by Mister Max Capricorn, president of Max, Max, Max." The host began to twitch as the pitch of its voice raised. The Doctor went to bring his sonic out however Rita held his arm glancing over at the steward. The Doctor followed her gaze and nodded removing his hand from the inside of his jacket.

"Ooh, bit of a glitch." The Doctor muttered while the steward hurried over to them.

"It's all right, sir, ma'am we can handle this." He reassured them as more officers arrived switching off the Host and carrying it away.

"Software problem, that's all." The steward explained to them. "Leave it with us, sir, ma'am. Merry Christmas." He walked away mumbling. "That's another one down. What's going on with these things?"

"Something tells me that it isn't just a software problem," Rita whispered to the Doctor who hummed in agreement. "I don't know about you but all these people are enjoying themselves and you don't look like you are." He looked into her eyes.

"Who says I'm not?" She asked him seriously. "I'm with you aren't I?" She asked gaining no reply she continued. "Sweetheart I don't care where we are, whether it is in the TARDIS, on a fancy ship or anywhere, if it's with you it's bound to be fun." She kissed his cheek. The Doctor softly smiled placing a lingering kiss on her lips.

They stood around watching before their attention was brought over to the man who they noticed on his phone before bumping into a waitress and spilling the drinks on her tray causing the glasses to smash on the floor. "For Tov's sake, look where you're going." He snapped. "This jacket's a genuine Earth antique."

"I'm sorry, sir." She apologised.

"You'll be sorry when it comes off your wages, sweetheart." He hissed before walking off mumbling. "Staffed by idiots. No wonder Max Capricorn's going down the drain." Rita clenched her fists walking over and crouching down beside the woman helping her.

"Here it's faster if we both do it." Rita smiled picking up pieces of glass. The Doctor crouched down a moment later.

"Careful. There we go."

"Thank you, sir, ma'am. I can manage." She reassured them.

"We never said you couldn't." The Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor and this is my beautiful girlfriend the Stone."

"Flattery will get you nowhere Doctor." Rita rolled her eyes trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"Trying doesn't hurt." He winked at her.

"Astrid, sir, ma'am. Astrid Peth." She shook their hands

"Nice to meet you, Astrid Peth." The Doctor smiled.

"Merry Christmas." The Doctor and Rita stood up placing the broken glass on a table.

"Merry Christmas, sir, ma'am."

"Just Doctor, not sir." The Doctor said.

"And just the Stone."

"You both enjoying the cruise?"

"Er, yeah, I suppose." He shrugged. "We don't normally do this kind of thing." He looked at Rita who nodded.

"You suggested it." she laughed at him, "I quite like it though, Doctor?"

"It's interesting..." He nodded then looked as Astrid. "What about you?" The Doctor asked. "Long way from home, Planet Sto."

She sighed. "Doesn't feel that different. I spent three years working at the spaceport diner, travelled all the way here and I'm still waiting on tables."

"No shore leave?"

She shook her head. "We're not allowed. They can't afford the insurance. I just wanted to try it, just once. I used to watch the ships heading out to the stars and I always dreamt of..." She drifted off then shook her head. "It sounds daft."

"You dreamt of another sky. New sun, new air, new life. A whole universe teeming with life. Why stand still when there all that life out there?"

"Reminds me of us." Rita chuckled.

"So, you two travel a lot?" Astrid asked them.

"All the time." Rita smiled.

"Just for fun. Well, that's the plan. Never quite works." The Doctor shrugged.

"Yeah, we get into trouble a lot." Rita shrugged grinning. "It's not so bad, quite enjoyable at times."

"Must be rich, though."

"Haven't got a penny." He said, Astrid blinked at them not believing a word. "Stowaways." The Doctor whispered.

"Kidding." She looked between them.

"He's being deadly serious."

"No." She gasped.

"Oh, yeah." The Doctor grinned nodding his head.

"How did you get on board?" She looked between them.

"Accident." The Doctor then explained. "We've got this, sort of, ship thing. I was just rebuilding her."

"His ship." Rita corrected him earning a slight glare from the Doctor. "I tried to remind you to put the defences back up." Rita then glared at him. "Then we bumped into the Titanic."

"And here we are." The Doctor grinned. "Bit of a party. We thought, why not?"

"I should report the both of you," Astrid told him.

The Doctor and Rita crossed their arms. "Go on then." They dared.

Astrid looked at them for a moment then spoke up. "I'll get you drinks on the house." She smiled then walked off seeing that they knew she wouldn't tell on them.

Rita glanced over and growled seeing a bunch of posh people were laughing at a man and a woman in fancy dress. Rita walked over dragging the Doctor who could sense she was annoyed. The Doctor knew better than anyone that when it came to being rude and mean to others because of their appearance she got _very_ angry.

"Just ignore them." The man said to the woman as Rita walked over to them.

"Something's tickled them." The Doctor hummed looking at the people in fits of laughter.

"They told us it was fancy dress." The woman explained stuffing food into her mouth. "Very funny, I'm sure."

"They're just picking on us because we haven't paid. We won our tickets in a competition." The man added.

"I had to name the five husbands of Joofie Crystalle in By the Light of the Asteroid. Did you ever watch By the Light of the Asteroid?"

"Is that the one with the twins?" The Doctor asked.

The woman nodded. "That's it. Oh, it's marvellous."

"But we're not good enough for that lot." He nodded at the group of people. "They think we should be in steerage."

"Hmm." Rita hummed. "I don't enjoy seeing others being mocked. Doctor, so I don't go overboard literally... could you do me a favour." She smirked.

"Of course." He grinned turning around and discreetly pointing his sonic at the Champaign bottle in the bucket on the table. The cork flew out and sprayed the alcohol on their expensive clothes.

"Did you do that?" The woman looked at the Doctor.

"Maybe he did," Rita smirked

"We like you two." The woman laughed.

The man nodded in agreement. "We do. I'm Morvin Van Hoff. This is my good woman, Foon."

"Foon." The Doctor nodded. "Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is my girlfriend the Stone."

"Are you going to introduce me to everyone as your girlfriend?" Rita chuckled.

"Am I not allowed?" He asked raising a brow.

"Never said I had a problem with it," Rita smirked then coughed lightly a blush growing on her face not thinking before the words exited her mouth, "Anyways."

The two stared at the Time Lords for a moment before Foon shook her head. "Oh, I'm going to need a Doctor, time I've finished with that buffet." Foon laughed. "Have a buffalo wing. They must be enormous, these buffalo. So many wings." She handed the Doctor and Rita one each.

A voice then came through on the speaker. "Attention, please. Shore leave tickets Red Six Seven now activated. Red Six Seven."

"Red Six Seven. That's us. Are you Red Six Seven?

The Doctor looked at Rita who slightly nodded. "Might as well be." He linked arms with her and followed Morvin.

"Come on, then. We're going to Earth."

The Doctor and Rita followed Foon and Morvin and saw Astrid walking over to them holding two drinks. _"Doctor I can't help seeing that woman working extremely hard and being treated how she is, can we take her with us down to Earth?"_

 _"You come up with brilliant ideas."_ He grinned nodding as they walked over to a man in a tweed jacket with a large sign. "Red Six Seven. Red Six Seven. This way, fast as you can."

"I got those drinks." Astrid walked over to them.

"And we got you a treat." The Doctor grinned pulling her away with the arm not around Rita. "Come on."

"Red Six Seven departing shortly." The man announced.

The Doctor flashed his psychic paper. "Red Six Seven" he pointed to himself and Rita. "plus one." They both then pointed to Astrid.

"Quickly, sir, please, and take three teleport bracelets if you would."

"I'll get the sack." Astrid told them.

"Brand new sky." The Doctor mentioned.

"New ground beneath your feet." Rita chuckled. "It's worth it."

"To repeat, I am Mister Copper, the ship's historian, and I shall be taking you to old London town in the country of UK, ruled over by good King Wenceslas." The man in tweed announced. "Now, human beings worship the great god Santa, a creature with fearsome claws, and his wife Mary. And every Christmas Eve, the people of UK go to war with the country of Turkey. They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner like savages." Rita bit her lip holding in a laugh.

"Excuse me." The Doctor spoke up. "Sorry, sorry, but, er, where did you get all this from?"

"Well, I have a first class degree in Earthonomics. Now, stand by."

Thy turned around seeing the small red alien with spikes from earlier run up shouting. "And me! And me! Red Six Seven."

"Well, take a bracelet, please, sir." Rita frowned looking at the Doctor who looked at him and then spoke up.

"But, er, hold on, hold on. What was your name?"

"Bannakaffalatta." He replied.

"Okay, Bannakaffalatta. But it's Christmas Eve down there. Late night shopping, tons of people. He's like a talking conker. No offence, but you'll cause a riot because the streets are going to be packed with shoppers and parties and-" He was cut off as they teleported down to Earth.

"Now, spending money." He handed out cards to them all. "I have a credit card in Earth currency if you want to buy trinkets, or stockings, or the local delicacy, which is known as beef. But don't stray too far, it could be dangerous. Any day now they start boxing."

The Doctor and Rita frowned looking around the street which was practically dead, there was no one except them and those who came down from 'the titanic.'

"Very good." Bannakaffalatta nodded.

"It should be full." The Doctor said. "It should be busy. Something's wrong."

"Of course." Rita sighed "Can't go anywhere without something happening." She shrugged. "Either way I enjoy it."

"But it's beautiful." Astrid breathed.

"Really?" The Doctor looked at her. "Do you think so? It's just a street. The pyramids are beautiful, and New Zealand."

Rita nodded agreeing with him. "We went there one time, to see the pyramids."

Astrid stared around in awe. "But it's a different planet." She started jumping up and down. "I'm standing on a different planet. There's concrete and shops." She ran over to them looking through the window. "Alien shops. Real alien shops! Look, no stars in the sky. And it smells. It stinks! Oh, this is amazing. Thank you!" She ran up to the Time Lords hugged them.

"It really is." Rita nodded. "The human race. But the Doctor is right, where is everyone?"

"Come on let's have a look." The Doctor walked over to a news stand with Rita, Astrid following them. They heard the headline of a newspaper. 'LONDON DESERTED' "Hello, there." The Doctor said the man turning towards the three. "Sorry, obvious question, but where's everybody gone?"

"Oh ho, scared!"

"Yeah, but what are they scared of?" Rita asked frowning.

"Where've you been living?" He asked. "London at Christmas? Not safe, is it."

"Why?" The Doctor asked. Rita glanced over to him having a good guess as to what they were afraid of.

"Well, it's them, up above." The man pointed upwards. "Look, Christmas before last we had that big bloody spaceship, everyone standing on a roof. And then last year, that Christmas Star electrocuting all over the place, draining the Thames."

 _"Whoops."_ The Doctor muttered into Rita's head.

"This place is amazing." Astrid breathed again.

"And this year, Lord knows what. So, everybody's scarpered. Gone to the country. All except me and Her Majesty." He placed a fist to his heart.

They looked to the TV as a man began to speak. "Her Majesty the Queen has confirmed that she'll be staying in Buckingham Palace throughout the festive season to show the people of London, and the world, that there's nothing to fear."

"God bless her. We stand vigil." The man nodded at the small TV.

"Well, between you and me, I think her Majesty's got it right. Far as I know, this year, nothing to worry about-"

The Doctor groaned as they were teleported back. " was in mid-sentence."

"Sweetheart when aren't you ever in mid-sentence?" She chuckled at him as he glared at her playfully.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that." Mister Cooper apologised. "A bit of a problem. If I could have your bracelets."

"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, and Bannakaffalatta." A steward walked up to them. "We seem to have suffered a slight power fluctuation. If you'd like to return to the festivities. And on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruiseliners, free drinks will be provided."

"Thank you." Foon nodded. The Doctor and Rita glanced at each other knowing the other was thinking the exact same thing.

"That was the best." Astrid jumped up and down with joy. "The best!"

"What sort of power fluctuation?" The Doctor asked what the Time Lady was thinking.

The steward ignored the Doctor and left with Cooper. The Doctor frowned and looked at Rita who looked around then noticed the screen with 'Max' on it. The Doctor looked over to where couples were dancing and sighed a little. "I know what you want." She spoke up following his gaze. "We can dance later." He raised a brow turning his head to her direction. "I promise, I want to find out what's going on first. If they won't tell us then we will have to find out ourselves." The Doctor grinned at her idea taking her hand and following her over to the screen she had seen before

"You are brilliant." He whispered quietly following her.

"So are you." She smirked bringing out her sonic and using it on the screen as the man started to talk. "And I should know because my name is Max. The fastest, the furthest, the best. My name is Max." The Doctor stood directly behind her enabling her to unfasten the frame and get to the electronics behind it without worrying about any of the staff worrying. After messing with the wires the image switched to the status of the ship.

"Well, that's not good." She muttered to the Doctor looking at the screen, the Doctor then looked over her shoulder at it before running over to the nearby portholes seeing three fireballs heading towards them.

The Doctor looked over at Rita who started fiddling with the wires again. "Got it." She muttered as the Doctor pressed a button.


	4. Voyage of the Damned - Two

"Is that the bridge?" The Doctor asked into a speaker. "I need to talk to the Captain. You've got a meteoroid storm coming in west zero by north two."

"Who is this?"

"Never mind that, your shields are down. Check your scanners, Captain. You've got meteoroids coming in and now shielding." The Doctor informed.

"You have no authorisation." The Captain stated. "You will clear the comms at once."

"And you will look starboard!" Rita snapped. "Look outside and tell us what you see!"

"Come with me, sir, ma'am." two men from behind grabbed the Doctor and the Stone and began to escort them off the deck.

"You've got a rock storm heading for this ship and the shields are down!" The Doctor shouted. He pulled away from the men and ran to the stage grabbing hold of the mic. "Everyone, listen to me! This is an emergency! Get to the lifeb-" a host then placed its hand over the Doctors mouth stopping him from speaking.

"Get off him!" Rita shouted. "You have a storm heading right for us!" The men proceeded to drag the two of them away no matter how hard they struggled they couldn't escape the grasp.

"Look out the windows!" The Doctor shouted.

Bannakafflatta then saw the commotion and headed over. "Him friend. Her friend."

"If you don't believe us, check the shields yourself!" The Doctor shouted trying to escape.

"Sir, I can vouch for them!" Astrid then shouted running up.

"Look, Steward, they've just had a bit too much to drink."

Mister Cooper then joined in. "Sir, something seems to have gone wrong. All the teleports have gone down."

"Not now!" The steward shouted.

The Doctor and Rita were pulled into a corridor Astrid, Mister Cooper, Foon and Morvin following. "The shields are down. We are going to get hit!" The Doctor shouted again.

"Oi! Steward!" The man from before with the drinks shouted from behind them.

"Listen to him!" Rita shouted. "We've not lying!"

"Listen to him. Listen to him!" The Doctor screamed.

The ship violently shook. The Doctor pulled out of the grasp of the men pulling Rita away grabbing her while trying to stay upright. They violently shook again, the Doctor grabbed Astrids arm with the one not around Rita's waist. Suddenly there was an explosion forcing the three to jump out of the way and hit the floor. The Doctor buried his head into Rita's neck as she did the same tightly holding onto him. The ship suddenly fell silent and the Doctor slowly looked up as the Time Lady did the same.

Morvin started to cooe to his wife. The Doctor stood up still holding on to Rita while holding his other hand up and hushing them all. "It's stopping." The Doctor then looked at Rita cupping her cheeks in his hands looking into her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not who you need to worry about Doctor, these people are scared and worried."

"It's my job to worry about you." He quickly kissed her forehead then turned to Astrid helping her stand. "You all right?"

"I think so." She nodded brushing herself off.

"Bad name for a ship." The Doctor muttered. "Either that or this suit is really unlucky."

"Sadly it's just us sweetheart." Rita pursed her lips and raised her brows as he shrugged at her.

"Er, everyone." The steward spoke up. "Ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta. I must apologise on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruiseliners. We seem to have had a small collision."

Morvin scoffed. "Small?"

"Do you know how much I paid for my ticket?"

"If I could have silence, ladies, gentlemen." They began to talk over the top of him. The Doctor and Rita just glanced at each other sighing. "Please." He begged. He then shouted at them. "Quiet!" Breathing out as they cut to silence. "Thank you. I'm sure Max Capricorn Cruiseliners will be able to reimburse you for any inconvenience, but first I would point out that we're very much alive."

"Doctor." Astrid looked over at the Time Lords.

"Are you all right?"

"She is, after all, a fine, sturdy ship." The steward told them. "If you could all stay here while I ascertain the exact nature of the situation."

"Don't open it!" The Doctor and Rita shouted grabbing on to a fixed object for dear life as a rush of air was sucked out the ship of the opened hatch, everyone was pulled towards the gap most of their legs dangling in the air, the Doctor then forced himself over to the other side and soniced a control panel. The oxygen shield then came online and they all gasped for breath.

"Oxygen shield stabilised."

"Stone?" The Doctor looked at her.

"I'm okay." She nodded. "Bit out of breath but I'm good, Astrid?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Everyone else all right?" The Doctor looked up. "Foon? Morvin? Mister Copper? Bannakaffalatta?" They all nodded to him in reply.

"You, what was your name?" The Doctor looked at the man.

"Rickston Slade."

"You all right?"

"No thanks to that idiot." The Doctor and Rita gritted their teeth as Astrid stepped forward in protest. "The steward just died."

"Then he's a dead idiot." Slade snapped.

"All right, calm down. Just stay still... All of you." He looked over at Rita who rolled her eyes.

"As if." She muttered following him over to the gap.

"What happened?" Astrid asked following them. "How come the shields were down?"

"I don't think it was an accident." The Doctor replied. They looked out seeing the floating debris and bodies now in space.

Astrid swallowed then asked: "How many dead?

"Astrid we're alive, we need to focus on that." Rita explained looking at her the Doctor taking her shoulders while she stood crouched down beside him.

"We will get you out of here, Astrid, I promise." He told her.

"Look at me." She looked up at him then at Rita. "We promise." Astrid looked between them both then slowly nodded. "Good. Now, if we can get to Reception, We've got a spaceship tucked away. We can all get on board and..." Rita slowly tapped his shoulder gaining the Doctors attention before pointing into the distance. "Oh."

Astrid frowned not understanding what the issue was. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"That's our ship over there."

"Your ship." Rita corrected.

"You was there on the day we borrowed her."

"Ah yes, such a long time ago, she hated you at first."

"You taught her not to." He chuckled.

"What?" Astrid frowned. "Where?"

"There." The Doctor pointed at the TARDIS floating in the distance. "That box. That little blue box."

"That's a spaceship?"

"Oi, don't knock it."

Astrid frowned. "It's a bit small."

"Most people described her as being 'bigger on the  
inside.'" Rita hummed fondly smiling.

"A bit distant." The Doctor muttered. "Trouble is, once it's set adrift, it's programmed to lock onto the nearest centre of gravity, and that would be the Earth."

"Oh dear..." she sighed then looked up. "We'll see her again Doctor." Rita patted his shoulder.

The Doctor just watched the TARDIS travel to Earth. "Right then." He jumped running over to a monitor. "We got a ship to save."

"Is someone going to actually let me help?" Rita teased raising a brow.

"I don't see why not." He smirked before using his sonic on some wires allowing them to speak to the bridge.

"Deck twenty-two to the bridge. Deck twenty-two to the bridge. Is there anyone there?"

"This is the bridge." They heard a man reply.

"Oh hello, sailor. Good to hear you. What's the situation up there?"

"We've got air." He shakily replied. "The oxygen field is holding, but the Captain, he's dead. He did it. I watched while he took down the shields. There was nothing I could do. I tried. I did try." He protested his voice slightly breaking.

"It's okay, you did what you could stay calm." Rita cut in softly. "What's your name?"

"Midshipman Frame."

"Lovely to meet you Midshipman Frame, could you tell us the state of the engines?" She asked glancing at the Doctor who looked at her quite impressed.

"They're er." They heard Frame call. "Hold on." The Doctor and Rita frowned hearing a cry of pain.

The Doctor then cut in asking what was on Rita's mind. "Have you been injured?"

He reassured them as best as he could. "I'm all right. Oh, my Vot." He gasped. "They're cycling down."

"That's a nuclear storm drive correct?" Rita asked.

"Yeah."

"The moment they're gone we lose orbit." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair knowing exactly what that meant.

"The planet."

"Oh, yes. If we hit the planet, the nuclear storm explodes and wipes out life on Earth. Midshipman, I need you to fire up the engine containment field and feed it back into the core." The Doctor ordered.

"This is never going to work." Frame protested.

Rita shook her head her voice stern and calm. "If there is one thing I have learned after all these years it's that you can trust the Doctor with your life, keep those engines running until we can get to the bridge."

Foon cried out. "We're going to die."

"Are you saying someone's done this on purpose? " Cooper asked.

"We are-" Foon cried out. "We're going to die."

"We're just a cruise ship." Astrid told them.

"Okay, okay." The Doctor held his hands up trying to get the group to be quiet. "Shush, shush, shush, shush, shush. First things first. One. We are going to climb through this ship. B."

"You mean two." Rita cut in.

"Yes thank you Stone." He nodded at her before continuing. "Two. We're going to reach the bridge. Three. Or C. We're going to save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low four, or D, or that little iv in brackets they use in footnotes, why. Right then, follow us." The Doctor turned around with Rita and began to walk down the hall.

"Hang on a minute." Slade said making the Time Lords stop in their tracks. "Who put you in charge and who the hell are you anyway?"

The Doctor swiftly turned back around confidently walking towards the group staring at him. "I'm the Doctor." He looked each and every one of them in the eye his face stern and extremely serious. "I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred and three years old and I'm the man who's going to save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below."

Rita looked at him slightly daze and walked up beside him. "Nice speech there sweetheart."

"And who the hell are you?" Slade looked at Rita frowning.

"I'm the Stone and I'm the Time Lady that put him in charge."

The Doctor looked beside him to Rita and nodded then looked back at Slade. "Yeah, You got a problem with that?"

"No." He shrugged.

"In that case, allons-y!" The Doctor switched his serious look for a grin and took the Time Lady's hand while turning around and lead the group. "Nice one back that." He whispered to Rita lightly kissing her cheek.

"Not too bad yourself sweetheart." She chuckled back.

They walked through the damaged halls until coming to a door. Rita pushed herself against it with her shoulder as the Doctor helped allowing it to force the debris back. The Doctor stepped through first. "Careful. Follow us." He told the others Rita following right behind him.

Cooper followed then began to mutter to the ground. "Rather ironic, but this is very much in the spirit of Christmas. It's a festival of violence. They say that human beings only survive depending on whether they've been good or bad... barbaric."

"Mister Cooper..." Rita sighed. "That's not Christmas, it's a brilliant time, a time for families and friends to come together, full of love peace and thanksgiving."

"My Christmases are always like this." The Doctor chuckled.

"Maybe we should..." Rita started to mumble quietly then shook her head when the Doctor looked back at her raising a brow "Never mind." The Doctor frowned slightly wondering what she was going to say, he mentally noted the conversation for her to address later. Looking up Rita beamed. "Oh look what we got."

"We've got a Host." He answered. "Strength of ten. If we can mend it, we can use it to fix the rubble."

"Ah Doctor, I think those regeneration side effects are kicking it." She sighed. The Doctor snapped his head to her alarmed. "I'm fine," my brain isn't at it's best, I forgot to mention that I was a little tired after everything that happened."

"Thats alright we can do robotics." Morvin then spoke up nodding at Foon for a moment. "Both of us."

Foon then cut in explaining. "We work on the milk market back on Sto. It's all robot staff."

"See if you can get it working." The Doctor nodded at them then looked at Rita worryingly before looking back at the rest of them. "Let's have a look." The groups apart from Foon and Morvin continued up the stairs, the group then stopped as a pile of debris blocked the exit.

"It's blocked." Astrid frowned.

The Time Lords looked at her. "So what do we do?"

"We shift it." She guessed

The Doctor grinned. "That's the attitude." He then looked at the three behind. "Rickston, Mister Copper, and you... Bannakaffalatta. Look, can I just call you Banna?" He groaned. "It's going to save a lot of time."

"No!" He glared at the Time Lord. "Bannakaffalatta."

The Doctor groaned again. "All right then, Bannakaffalatta. There's a gap in the middle. See if you can get through." He moved aside allowing Bannakaffalatta to move through as he climbed the stairs and assessed the gap.

"Easy." He nodded beginning to move through. "Good." The ship then shook and more debris started to fall just as Baffakalatta got past the entrance.

"This whole thing could come crashing down any minute." Slade snapped angrily.

The Doctor and Rita groaned looking back at him.  
"Oh, Rickston, I forgot. Did you get our message?" The Doctor asked.

The man frowned at them not understanding what they were talking about. "No. What message?"

"Shut up!" The Doctor and Rita shouted causing the man to slightly flinch.

"Bannakaffalatta made it." He announced.

"I'm small enough," Astrid said moving forward. "I can get through."

The Time Lords both warned her. "Careful."

"I'm fine." She reassured them moving through."

"Thing is," Slade began to speak causing Rita to narrow her eyes at him. "How are Mister and Mrs Fatso going to get through that gap?"

"Now." Rita turned to Slade snapping at him. "You may think you're all important but Foon and Morvin are just as important as you" She glared and pointed at him. "So I suggest to follow our message and be quiet! I don't see you helping? So you can give us a hand with making the gap bigger." She passed a small metal pole to him. "Foon, Morvin." Rita loudly said for them to hear. "Ignore the idiot." She glared at Slade.

"Remind me to never ever make you angry." The Doctor kissed her cheek. "Seeing that was scarier than the Daleks."

Rita chuckled lightly shifting more of the debris. "Them bloody pepper pots."

The group shifted more and more of the debris until it was all clear. Slade stopped opening his mouth as the laughs of Morvin travelled up the stairs.

"What happened?" He asked. "Did they find a doughnut?" He sarcastically muttered.

"Right!" Rita shouted spinning around. "I would be very, _very_ careful what you say around me Mister Rickston Slade." She glared at him. The man looked at her in horror seeing her eyes turn dark and cold in a matter of seconds. "I am going right now before if I don't then I am going to end up regretting something later on!"

Rita crouched down to go through. The Doctor grabbed her arm stopping her. "Be careful." He looked straight into her eyes. She nodded and went to go through but was pulled back again. "I mean it." He kissed her cheek then gave a nod allowing her to move through.

Slowly making her way through being wary of any sudden movement she made and was quite thankful that her dress wasn't as long as her second choice that she was actually going to wear at first. "I'm through." She called back swearing that she heard the Doctor sigh in relief. Looking around she frowned not seeing Astrid or Bannakaffalatta in sight. "Astrid?" She called out standing up and brushing her dress where it had collected a slight dust from the floor.

"Over here!" The woman called out. Rita followed the sound finding her crouched down beside Bannakaffalatta who looked very much tired and in pain.  
"Bannakaffalatta are you okay?" Rita asked kneeling beside Astrid.

He held a finger to his lips hushing her. "What is it?" Astrid worryingly asked.

"Can't say." He whispered.

"We promise. I swear on my hearts."Rita crossed an 'x' over them to prove her point.

"Are you hurt?"

He looked at Astrid before mumbling. "Ashamed."

"Of what?"

"Poor Bannakaffalatta." He raised his shirt revealing part of his body to have metal and wires.

"You're a cyborg." Astrid looked at him slightly shocked.

"Had accident long ago." He quieted his voice. "Secret."

"No, but everything's changed now." Astrid shook her head. "Cyborgs are getting equal rights. They passed a law back on Sto. You can even get married."

"Marry you?" He looked between them.

"You would have to fight the Doctor for that." Rita chuckled. "He can get quite protective over me." She quietly chuckled. "What about Astrid?"

"Well, you can buy me a drink first." She looked at Bannakalatta. "Come on. Let's recharge you. Just stay there for a bit." Astrid informed him pressing a button on his chest and pulling his shirt back down.

"Tell no one." He seriously looked at her.

"I promise." She smiled nodding.

"What's going on up there?" The Doctor shouted through the gap. Rita moved over looking through. "Well I think," she looked back at them both. "I think in the highly most of unlikely of circumstances that Bannakaffalatta and Astrid just got engaged." She laughed. Astrid looked over at Bannakaffalatta blushing while Rita laughed even more at the sight hearing the Doctors laugh echo through.

"How's everything with you?" She asked. The Doctor then looked down about to ask the two below as Morvin replied obviously able to hear her.

"Report!" The Doctor heard Frame speaking.

"Almost done!" Morvin informed fiddling with some wires.

"Good, good, good." The Doctor nodded. "Mister Frame, how's things?"

"Doctor, I've got life signs all over the ship but they're going out one by one."

"What is it?" The Doctor asked frowning slightly. "Are they losing air?"

"No. One of them said it's the Host. It's something to do with the Host.

"It's working!" Morvin beamed. The Doctors eyes widened hearing him.

"Kill."

"Turn it off!" The Doctor shouted.

"I can't, Doctor!" Foon screamed.

Rita's eyes snapped to the gap. "Doctor!" She shouted. "What's going on!"

"Kill. Kill. Kill."

"Go!" He shouted, running down the stairs pushing Foon put and pulling out his sonic trying to free Morvim from the Host that had grabbed his throat.

"Double deadlock!" He shouted.

"Doctor!" Rita shouted.

"Quickly, go upstairs!" The Doctor told them.

"Run, darling" Foon screamed. "Run!"

"Information. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill." The Host said in a monotone voice moving towards them.

"Foon! Foon!"

"Rickston, get them through!" The Doctor shouted.

"No chance." He snapped crawling through the gap.

"Rickston!" Rita shouted seeing him crawl through. She clenched her fists seeing him run to the door out of fear. Rita snapped back around seeing Copper coming through. Having bigger things to deal with she ran over helping the man with Astrid.

"Kill. Kill."

"It's the Host!" The Doctor shouted to Frame. "They've gone berserk. Are you safe up there?" He then moved back as the Host got closer.

"Kill. Kill. Kill"

Foon started to crawl through then cried out. "Now I'm stuck!"

"Come on, you can do it!" Rita looked up in horror seeing the debris shifting.

"It's going to collapse." Copper cried using a metal bar to hold the debris up as he cried out. "Rickston, vot damn it, help me."

"No way." He stepped back as Rita and Astrid helped Foon up before moving back to position to help Morvin.

"Morvin, get through!" The Doctor shouted.

"Doctor hurry up!" Rita screamed now clearly hearing the Host.

"Kill. Kill. Kill."

"Doctor, he's stuck!" Astrid cried pulling with all her might.

The Doctor then pushed on Morvin's rear. "Mister van Hoff, I know we've only just met, but you'll have to excuse me." He grunted pushing Morvin through.

"That's it. We've got you." Astrid helped him up.

"Doctor!" Rita shouted seeing him on the other side. "Doctor, come on, get through."

"Information override!" He spun around facing the Host his head between the debris. "You will tell me the point of origin of your command structure!" He shouted.

"I can't hold it!" Copper cried.

"Information. Deck thirty-one."

"Thank you." The Doctor said to it then stepped through.

"Thank you." He breathed before shouting to Mister Copper, "let go!" Copper did as he was told and the debris fell on the Hosts head. Rita breathed heavily and saw the Doctor watching her worryingly. She marched over to him looking slightly mad and threw her hand right across his left cheek causing an echo to start in the silent room, taking it as a sign the others slightly stepped back away from the two. Rita then launched herself at him wrapping her arms around his neck causing him to stumble backwards slightly. The Doctor stood there for a moment confused trying to join the dots together as to why she just did that while Rita hid her face in his chest listening to his hearts beat. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her holding her tightly feeling her slightly shaking. He didn't dare say a word and just let her know that he was okay.

"Don't. _Ever_. Do that to me again." She firmly and loudly spoke into his neck trying to hold back the sobs.

The Doctor swallowed deeply and shakenly asked. "Do what?"

"Scare me like that." She tightened her grip on him not caring that everyone was most likely staring at them. A few more moments past and Rita moved her head looking at his cheek. She gently moved her arm and rested her hand where she had slapped him seeing a red mark now on his face. "I'm sorry." She whispered leaning in and kissing his cheek. "I- I just."

"I know." He whispered to her resting his head against hers. "I know. I'm fine."

"As lovely as this is I would like to get off this ship." Slade cut in angrily. Rita snapped her head in his direction letting go of the Doctor and stormed over to the man who now pressed himself up against the wall out of seeing the pure anger in her eyes.

"They, could have died... He-" she swallowed. "You only care about yourself." She pressed his chest with her finger, enough for a slight pain. "I swear on both my hearts that if _he_ did then you would regret ever caring about only yourself as well as wishing that you didn't have to deal with _me_." She turned and walked off sonicing the door which he had complained to be locked before and walked through. The Doctor sighed feeling slightly guilty for not reassuring her. He quickly followed as the others trailed behind.

 _"Before you say."_ Rita swallowed not looking back knowing it was the Doctor behind her. _"I don't blame you."_ She continued walking. The Doctor quickened his pace to walk beside her. Reaching out slightly he took her hand and locked his fingers with her. _"I know."_ He sighed. _"I'm sorry."_

 _"Don't be sorry Theta."_ She glanced over at him seeing his soft brown eyes on her. _"It's him I despise."_ She spat. The Stone breathed in and out deeply then stopped turning to the Doctor who looked at her frowning she pulled him to her and kissed him passionately, long and hard. She then pulled away after a few moments looking deep into his eyes. "I don't show you enough just how much I love you." She said then lightly coughed as the Doctor stared at her. Swallowing hard she took his hand again and continued walking dragging him along knowing that this wasn't the time and that there were people behind her with their lives entrusted in her hands.


	5. Voyage of the Damned - Three

"Morvin, look." Foon beamed at her husband. "Food."

"Oh great. Someone's happy." Slade muttered then moved away seeing the evil glare of Rita. The Doctor sighed wrapped an arm around her letting her rest her head against his shoulder.

"Don't have any then." Morvin glared at Slade. Rita smiled a little happy that he wasn't letting him get to himself or his wife like that.

Rita nodded at the Doctor thinking exactly what she knew he was thinking. Keeping his hand firmly on her waist the two made their way over to talk to Frame. "Mister Frame, are you still there?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes, sir, but I've got Host outside." He glanced at the door. "I've sealed the door."

"Those Host." Rita went on to explain. "They've been programmed to kill. Do you have any idea as to why anyone would do that?" She asked.

"That's not the only problem, Stone, I had to use a maximum deadlock on the door, which means no one can get in. I'm sealed off. Even if you can fix the Titanic you can't get to the bridge."

"Yeah, right, fine." The Doctor cut off. "One problem at a time. What's on deck thirty-one?"

"Er, that's down below. It's nothing. It's just the Host storage deck. That's where we keep the robots." Rita flashed her sonic at the monitor knowing what he was talking about. A screen of the ship then appeared showing a small black box in a small area of the ship where deck thirty-one would have be.

"Well, what's that?" The Doctor asked. "Do you see that panel? Black. It's registering nothing. No power, no heat, no light."

"I've never seen it before." Frame muttered.

"One hundred percent shielded," Rita said. "Have any idea what exactly is down there?"

"I'll try intensifying the scanner." He informed them.

"Let us know if you find anything. And keep those engines going."

"Saved you two some. You might be a Time King and Queen from Gaddabee but you need to eat." Astrid handed Rita a small plate.

Rita chuckled. "It's Time Lord." She sat down beside the Doctor. "Or Time Lady in my case." She shrugged taking the offered food and handing a sandwich to the Doctor. "Thank you though."

"Yeah, thanks." He nodded.

"So, you two look good for nine hundred and three."

"You should see him in the mornings." Rita joked.

"Okay," Astrid said a little too quickly. The Doctors eyes snapped up staring at her then shifted over to Rita worryingly for her reaction.

She stared at Astrid for a moment before laughing. "I asked for that one." The Doctors gaze softened. It was one of the things he loved about her. Her trust and understanding, she knew Astrid didn't mean anything from that so why would she need to be jealous or mad? Then again when was she ever jealous?

"Doctor, Stone, it must be well past midnight, Earth time. Christmas Day." Mister Copper informed them.

"So it is. Merry Christmas." He smiled at them before turning to Rita. _"Merry Christmas my love."_ He kissed her temple.

 _"Merry Christmas to you too sweetheart."_ She kissed his cheek in return.

Astrid then spoke up. "This Christmas thing, what's it all about?"

"Long story." The Doctor explained. "I should know, I was there. I got the last room."

"Now I never got told or knew about this." Rita looked at him.

"I'll tell you the story one day."

"But if the planet's waking up, can't we signal them?" Mr Copper then asked. "They could send up a rocket or something."

"They don't have spaceships."

"No, I read about it. They have shuffles. Space shuffles." Copper shook his head.

"Mister Copper" the Doctor looked at him speaking quietly. "This degree in Earthonomics, where's it from?"

"Honestly?" He looked at them.

"Just between us."

Mister Copper swallowed looking around for a moment. "Mrs Golightly's Happy Travelling University and Dry Cleaners." He muttered.

"You, you lied to the company to get the job?" Astrid stared at him.

"I wasted my life on Sto." He explained wiping his brow and sitting down. "I was a travelling salesman, always on the road, and I reached retirement with nothing to show for it. Not even a home. And Earth sounded so exotic."

"Hmm. I suppose it is, yeah." The Doctor hummed.

"How come you know it so well?"

"We were sort of, a few years ago." He stuttered. "We were sort of made, well, sort of homeless, and, er, there was the Earth." Rita nodded while taking the Doctors hand softly smiling at him.

"The thing is" Copper sighed. "If we survive this, there'll be police and all sorts of investigations. Now the minimum penalty for space lane fraud is ten years in jail. I'm an old man. I won't survive ten years." He finished speaking as a loud bang echoed.

The Doctor and Rita jumped up. "A Host!" The Doctor shouted to everyone. "Move! Come on!"

They ran to the Engine room where there was a large gap in the middle, a narrow fallen beam created a walkway across.

"Is that the only way across?" Slade asked.

"On the other hand, it is a way across." The Doctor corrected him.

"The engines are open." Astrid informed them peering down.

"Nuclear storm drive." The Doctor told them.

"As soon as it stops, the Titanic falls." Rita then added.

"But that thing, it'll never take our weight." Movin cried.

"You're going last, mate." Slade hissed.

"It's nitrofin metal. It's stronger than it looks." The Doctor promised.

"All the same, Rickston's right. Me and Foon should-" he stepped forward and cried out as the metal below him gave way, he fell towards the engines

"Morvin!" Foon cried.

"I told you. I told you!" Slade hissed at them.

"Just shut up." Mister Copper snapped. "Shut up!"

"Bring him back!" Foon cried the Doctor and Rita tried to comfort her. "Can't you bring him back? Bring him back, Doctor, Stone!"

"We can't. We can't."

"Foon I'm sorry."

"You promised me." She cried. Rita flinched the Doctor looked at her sadly watching her look down.

"Doctor, Stone, I rather think that those things have got our scent." Mister Copper worryingly looked back at where they came from.

"I'm not waiting." Slade hissed running over and heading to the beam.

"Careful. Take it slowly!" The Doctor shouted to him.

The ship violently shook and threw Slade forward onto the beam. "Oh, Vot help me." He cried out trying to shift himself across.

"You're fine!" Rita shouted. "Slowly."

"A step at a time. Come on, you can do it." The Doctor said.

"Kill. Kill. Kill."

Mister Copper turned his head back at the voices. "They're getting nearer."

"Sealed us in." The Doctor locked them in with his sonic.

"You're leaving us trapped, wouldn't you say?" Copper asked.

"Never say trapped." The Doctor told him.

"Just inconveniently circumstanced." Rita added.

"Oh."

They looked back at Slade who now was standing back up almost across. "I'm okay."

"Maybe he's all right." Foon cried. "Maybe, maybe there's a gravity curve down there or something. I don't know. Maybe he's just unconscious." She cried. Rita slowly made her way over as the woman cried in Astrid's arms.

"I'm sorry, Foon. He's gone." Astrid sadly hugged her.

Slade jumped up and down after reaching the other side. "Yes." He screamed. "Oh. yes! Who's good!"

"Bannakaffalatta, you go next." The Doctor ordered.

"Bannakaffalatta small." He began to run across before the Time Lords shouted at him. "Slowly!" Then sighed when he slowly started to move across. The Doctor looked over at Rita she shook her head knowing exactly what he was thinking and stepped over towards him tightly holding his hand in hers, telling the Doctor without words that she was staying with him. He nodded in agreement because he scared her once already today.

The Host began to hammer on the door again and Mister Copper cried out. "They've found us."

"Astrid, get across right now." The Doctor ordered her.

"What about you two?" She looked between Rita and the Doctor.

"I'm not leaving him." Rita promised. "Mister Copper you have to go." She told him.

"No, but we-" he began to protest but was cut off by the Doctor.

"Don't argue. Foon, you've got to get across right now."

"What for?" She cried. "What am I going to do without him?"

"Doctor?" Slade shouted. "The door's locked!"

The Doctor grabbed Foon's shoulders as Rita rubbed the woman's back. "Just think. What would he want, eh?"

"He don't want nothing." She cried again. "He's dead."

"Doctor, I can't open the door." Slade shoulder. "We need the whirling key thing of yours."

"Doctor I'm not leaving her." Rita told him hugging Foon.

"I'm not leaving the Stone with Foon alone!" He shouted.

"She'll get us all killed if we can't get out." He shouted back. The Doctor looked at Rita pleading. She swallowed and nodded letting go of Foon and took his hand knowing that Slade was right, they needed to get out otherwise everyone died. "Mrs van Hoff, we are coming back for you. All right?" He promised then led Rita onto the beam before following after her.

Bannakaffalatta looked up. "Too many people!"

"Oi!" The Doctor glared at him. "Don't get spiky with me. Keep going." They continued to move the Doctor right behind Rita watching to make sure she was safe. Bannakaffalatta moved over the weakest part as it moved slightly.

"It's going to fall." Astrid cried.

"It's just settling." The Doctor said to her. "Keep going."

They continue to move before the area became quiet.

"They've stopped." Astrid looked around.

"Gone away?" Bannakaffalatta guessed.

"Why would they give up?" The Doctor muttered looking at Rita.

Slade snapped wanting to get out of the engine room. "Never mind that. Keep coming!"

"But the Doctor is right, why would they give up?" Rita asked. "Where have the Host gone, why?"

Mister Copper gasped looking up. "I'm afraid we've forgotten the traditions of Christmas." He pointed upwards at one of the Host. "That angels have wings!"

They all looked up seeing the Host floating down to them multiple Host gliding around them."Information. Kill." They stated as the Doctor shouted for the group to arm themselves. Rita grabbed a pipe as the others did the same. The Host then began to throw the haloes towards them. They hit them away. However, one cut the Doctors arm and then Mister Copper.

"Doctor!" Rita shouted not paying attention as one deeply cut her arm no that no doubt would have resulted in possible blood loss with the situation they were currently in. "Ah" she groaned slightly before staring at it. "Now they are lucky I'm still under fifteen hours." She muttered as her arm healed the cut the Doctor looking at her worryingly before sighing seeing that she was okay.

"I can't." Astrid cried panting on the beam struggling to fight off the Host.

"Bannakaffalatta stop." He threw down his metal pole then turned to Astrid. "Bannakaffalatta proud... Bannakaffalatta cyborg!" He shouted lifting his shirt as an energy pulse shot out of him short circuiting the Host sending them to the core, one, however, landed on the catwalk behind the Doctor.

"Oh, Bannakaffalatta, that was brilliant!" The Doctor shouted beaming. His face fell as Bannakaffalatta collapsed onto the other side. Astrid jumped across sitting next to him. "He's used all his power." she sobbed

Bannakaffalatta looked at her sadly and quietly asked: "Did good?"

"You saved our lives." She said her voice slightly cracking.

"Bannakaffalatta happy."

"We can recharge you." She told him. "Get you to a power point and just plug you in."

"Too late."

"No, but you got to get me that drink, remember?" She pulled him into his arms.

"Pretty girl." He whispered before closing his eyes for good. The Doctor squeezed Rita's hand in comfort seeing the hurt in her eyes, Astrid then began to fasten his shirt, Copper then reached for a component.

"I'm sorry." He apologised. "Forgive me."

"Leave him alone." Astrid cried out.

"It's the EMP transmitter." He explained. "He'd want us to use it. I used to sell these things. They'd always give me a bed for the night in the cyborg caravans. They're good people. But if we can recharge it, we can use it as a weapon against the rest of the Host." He took the EMP transmitter out of him. "Bannakaffalatta might have saved us all."

"Do you think?" Slade asked. "Try telling him that!" He pointed to behind the Doctor.

"Information. Reboot." The Host stood up. Rita's eyes widened grabbing the Doctors arm.

"Use the EMP!" Slade shouted.

"It's dead. It's dead." Mister Copper told them.

"It's got to have emergency"

"No, no, no." The Doctor raised his arms. "Hold on. Override loophole. Security protocol ten. Six six six." He thought. "Er, twenty-one, four, five, six, seven, eight. I don't know, forty-two?" He then guessed.

"One!" Rita tried.

"Information. State request." The Host looked at her.

"Right then." She thought for a moment. "Why have you been ordered to kill the survivors?" She asked

"Information. No witnesses."

"But this ship's going to fall on the Earth and kill everyone." The Doctor then said. "The human race have nothing to do with the Titanic, so that contravenes your orders, yes?"

"Information. Incorrect."

"But why do you want to destroy the Earth?"

"Information. It is the plan."

The Doctor and Rita both frowned. "What plan?"

"Information. Protocol grants you only three questions." Rita groaned. "These three questions have been used."

"Well, you could have warned us." The Doctor bitterly replied.

"Information. Now you will die."

The Doctor grabbed Rita pushing her behind him as the Host raised its arms to grab its halo. A lasso came from behind trapping the Host's arms.

"You're coming with me." Foon spat jumping off of the side dragging the Host with her.

"No!" The Doctor and Rita cried out slightly leaning over the edge sadly watching the woman fall to the core, she risked her life to save the Doctor, to save everyone, they both then stood up their faces showing no emotion once she had disappeared. "No more."

They climb the remainder across the edge and headed into a corridor. "Right. Get yourself up to Reception One. Once you're there, Mister Copper, you've got staff access to the computer. Try to find a way of transmitting an SOS." The Doctor ordered. "Astrid, you're in charge of this." He held out the EMP transmitter.

"Once it's powered up, it'll take out a Host within fifty yards but then it needs sixty seconds to recharge," Rita explained.

"Got it?" The Doctor asked. She nodded and he handed it to her. "Rickston, take this." The Doctor gave him his sonic screwdriver. "I've preset it. Just hold down that button." He pointed "It'll open doors. Do not lose it!" He shouted. "You got that? Now go and open the next door. Go on, go!"

"All right!" He ran off. Rita handed Mister Copper a first aid kit.

"Mister Copper, you're going to need this." The Doctor informed him. "We need you fighting fit. Astrid, where's the power points?"

"Under the comms." She ran over and they plugged in the EMP.

"See, when it's ready, that blue light comes on there just like the Stone said."

"You're both talking as if you're not coming with us." Astrid looked at them.

"There's something down on deck thirty-one. We're going to find out what it is."

"And I'm not letting him go without me," Rita added.

"What if you meet a Host?" Astrid asked.

"Well, then we'll just have some fun." He grinned.

"Sounds like you do this kind of thing all the time."

"Not by choice. All we do is travel." The Doctor explained. "That's what we are." Rita nodded placing her hand on his. "Just travellers. Imagine it. No tax, no bills, no boss. Just the open sky."

"I'm sort of unemployed now," Astrid mumbled. "I was thinking the blue box is kind of small, but I could squeeze in it, like a stowaway."

"It's not always safe." He warned her.

"So you two need someone to take care of you." She looked between them. "I've got no one back on Sto. No family, just me. So what do you think? Can I come with you?"

The Doctor glanced at Rita. "Astrid, of course, I would love for you to come with us. If he wants it is his ship."

"Ours." He corrected her kissing her cheek then looked at Astrid. "I'd like that."

There was suddenly a loud bang causing the three to jump. The Doctor and Rita spoke to the bridge again. "Mister Frame, you still with us?"

"It's the engines, sir." He panted. "Final phase. There's nothing more I can do. We've got only eight minutes left."

"We will get there, do not worry Mister Fame," Rita informed him.

"But the bridge is sealed off." He protested.

"Yeah, yeah, working on it." The Doctor cut in. "We'll get there, Mister Frame, somehow." He looked at Astrid. "All charged up?" She nodded. "Mister Copper, look after her. Astrid, look after him. Rickston, er, look after yourself. Rita look after me."

"What do you think I do every day?" She laughed, "We look after each other it's what we do sweetheart" She then coughed as everyone stared at her the Doctor slightly blushing. "Right then, Astrid we'll see you later. We promise." Rita nodded taking off with the Doctor heading back to the bridge they crossed before.

They headed across and ran back to where they came from before they skidding to a halt at the gallery, turning around to go back, two Host blocked the exit standing in the way. The Doctor and Rita both grabbed sauce pans facing the opposite direction their backs pressed up together

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Security protocol one." The Doctor announced as they went to remove their halos. "Do you hear me? One. One!" They then lowered their arms. "Okay, that gives me three questions. Three questions to save our lifes, am I right?" He asked

"Information. Correct."

Rita groaned.

"No, that wasn't one of them. I didn't mean it." The Doctor shouted. "That's not fair. Can I start again?"

"Information. No."

"Sweetheart do you want me to hit you around the head!" He looked at her wincing. "No? Okay then think Doctor."

"Blimey. One question left." He muttered. "One question. So, you've been given orders to kill the survivors but survivors must, therefore, be passengers or staff, but not us. We're not passengers. We're not staff."

"Scan us." Rita grinned seeing what he was doing. "You lot must have some bio-records so do a quick scan, we don't exist to you."

"Therefore, we're stowaways and stowaways should be arrested and taken to the nearest figure of authority." He said.

"And I guess." Rita tapped her chin. "I guess, and I'm normally quite good with my guesses, that the nearest figure of authority is on deck thirty-one."

"Final question." The Doctor announced. "Are we right?"

"Information. Correct."

"Brilliant." The Doctor beamed dropping his pan on the floor as Rita did the same, they then linked arms. "Take us to your leader." He grinned then looked at Rita. "I've always wanted to say that."

"I think you have said that before sweetheart." She patted his arm as he started to pout before they were taken away to deck to thirty-one.


	6. Voyage of the Damned - Four

"Wow. " the Doctor and Rita looked at the large ring like object above them. "Now that is what you call a fixer upper."

"Can't you ever use real words?" Rita asked raising her brows at him.

"You like it really." He winked at her then turned to the Host around them. "Come on then, Host with the most, this ultimate authority of yours. Who is it?"

They watched as the Host walked over and opened a pair of thick doors.

"Omnistate impact chamber." Rita said the Doctor nodded. "Indestructible."

"You can survive anything in there. Sit through a supernova. Or a shipwreck." The Doctor watched as a shadowy figure started to roll out. "Only one person can have the power and the money to hide themselves on board like this and I should know, because..."

"...My name is Max." A voice spoke as a large fork lift with a head came out of of the shadows the only thing not robotic about the man being his head. Max flashed a grin and his tooth glinted.

"It really does that." The Doctor and Rita raised a brow.

"Who the hell are they?" Max looked to the Host.

"I'm the Doctor and this is the Stone." He gestured to Rita. "Hello." They both waved at Max

"Information. Stowaways."

"Well." The Doctor shrugged glancing at Rita who then shrugged at him.

"Kill them." Max instructed. The Host then began to take off their halos as the Doctor stepped forward holding out his arms in front of him and Rita."Oh, no, no, no. Wait, but you can't. Not now. Come on, Max. You've given me so much good material like." He looked around.

"How to get a _head_ in business." Rita joked as the Doctor started to nod.

"See? Head?" The Doctor asked. "Head in business? The Stone is funny." They tried to laugh at Max who just stared at them. "No?"

"Oh, ho, ho, the office joker." Max looked at her. "I like a funny woman. No one's been funny with me for years."

"Sorry Max." Rita pursed her lips. "I like someone else." She gestured to the Doctor grinning.

"I can't think why." The Doctor muttered rubbing the back of his head.

"A hundred and seventy-six years of running the company have taken their toll." Max sighed bringing the conversation back on topic.

"Yeah but, nice wheels." The Doctor commented looking down at the vehicle

"No, a life support system" Max corrected them, "in a society that despises cyborgs. I've had to hide away for years, running the company by hologram." Max looked at the Host. "Host, situation report."

"Information. Titanic is still in orbit."

"Let me see." He demanded rolling forward and looking down below. "We should have crashed by now. What's gone wrong?" He asked. "The engines are still running! They should have stopped!" He then shouted moving back. The Doctor and Rita walked up looking down below while talking to Max

"When they do, the Earth gets roasted." The Doctor frowned. "We don't understand. What's the Earth got to do with it?"

"This interview is terminated." Max stated as the Host grabbed them.

"No. No, no, no, no, no." The Doctor shook his head trying to struggle free. "Hold on, hold on, hold on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." He paused. "I can work it out. It's like a task. I'm your apprentice." He grinned. "Just watch me. So, business is failing and you wreck the ship so that makes things even worse. Oh, yes!"

"No." Rita frowned before changing her mind. "Wait yes!" She grinned. "Past tense."

"The business isn't failing, it's failed." The Doctor nodded.

"My own board voted me out," Max explained. "Stabbed me in the back."

"If you had a back." The Doctor and Rita quietly mumbled. "So, you scupper the ship, wipe out any survivors just in case anyone's rumbled you and the board find their shares halved in value. Oh, but that's not enough. No. Because if a Max Capricorn ship hits the Earth, it destroys an entire planet." The Doctor explained his plan. "Outrage back home. Scandal! The business is wiped out." The Doctor placed the pieces together.

"And the whole board thrown in jail for mass murder."

"While you sit there" Rita gritted her teeth at him. "All safe and sound inside the impact chamber."

"I have men waiting to retrieve me from the ruins and enough off-world accounts to retire me to the beaches of Penhaxico Two, where the ladies, so I'm told, are very fond of metal."

"Disgusting." Rita spat. "Two thousand people were on this ship!" She shouted out of anger. "Six billion on planet Earth!"

"All of them slaughtered" the Doctor cut in, "and why? Because Max Capricorn is a loser." He hissed.

"I never lose." He snapped at them.

"You can't even sink the Titanic." The Doctor laughed.

"And this ship was named after the 'unsinkable ship' that sunk."

"Oh, but I can, Doctor, Stone. I can cancel the engines from here." He laughed as an alarm blared.

"No!" Rita shouted.

"You can't do this!" The Doctor went to lunge at him.

"Host, hold them!" Max shouted. The Host stepped from behind them grabbing their arms and forcing them behind their backs.

"Not so clever now, Doctor, Stone." He chuckled. "A shame we couldn't work together. You're both rather good. All that banter yet not a word wasted." He rolled past them. "Time for me to retire. The Titanic is falling. The sky will burn. Let the Christmas inferno commence." He paused then added. "Oh. Oh, Host. Kill them."

"Mister Capricorn!" A voice shouted. The Doctor and Rita swallowed knowing whose voice that was. They looked over seeing Astrid in a fork lift.

"I resign." She then sped towards Max.

"Astrid, don't!" The Doctor and Rita screamed struggling to break free.

They watched in horror as the Host threw their halos at the fork life. Astrid pushed the forks under Max's life support machine.

"No!" Rita screamed as the Doctor shouted at her: "He's cut the brake line!" The Time Lords tried to break free as Astrid glanced nodding at them. She then lifted Max completely off the ground and forced them both forward off the edge.

"Astrid!" They both shouted as the Host let them go. They ran to the edge and watched her fall. The Doctor pulled Rita to his chest tightly holding her as he felt her slightly shaking. "Shush." He softly whispered stroking her hair with one hand the other tightly holding her body to his.

"She was going to come with us," Rita mumbled tears slowly rolling down her face.

"I know." He whispered in a murmur again kissing her forehead and wiping her tears away with his thumb. The Doctor then took her hand and stood up. They slowly walked away from the explosions.

"You know." Rita looked at him sniffing slightly. "If I'm correct the Host follow the orders of the highest authority. I believe that's either of us." The Doctor looked at her smirking. Knowing his plan already she reached up and placed her hands around his neck carefully so she could hold on. The Doctor moved his arms around her and clicked his fingers. The Host then grabbed his arms and they then lifted the Time Lords up and raised their fist punching through into the bridge.

"Deadlock broken." The computer stated as Frame jumped staring at the two.

"Well, that's one way to break in." Rita brushed herself off after the Doctor pulled her up.

"Ah, Midshipman Frame." The Doctor stepped forward. "At last."

"Er, but," he looked at the Host. "but the Host." He stuttered.

"Controller dead..." he said. "They divert to the next highest authority, and that's me."

"There's nothing we can do." He said clutching his side in pain. "There's no power. The ship's going to fall."

The Doctor grabbed the wheel. "What's your first name?" He looked at Frame.

"Alonso."

The Doctor and Rita stared at him. "You're kidding me."

"Great." The Stone rolled her eyes slightly chuckling at the glee on the Doctors face, closely resembling a child at Christmas.

"What?" He frowned at them.

"That's something else I've always wanted to say." The Doctor laughed. "Allons-y, Alonso." He then clutched the wheel spinning it as alarms blared. The ship then entered the upper atmosphere and started to burn. Rita grabbed on to the console and pressed the scanner to find the impact area.

"Great." She muttered picking up the phone on the console. "Got to make a quick call." She muttered pressing the keypad. "Hello, yes." She nodded. "Need you to get me Buckingham Palace?" She said before shouting. "No, you will listen to me! Seven seven one. This is the Stone and the Doctor, that is the security code now get out of there!"

They continued to head towards the Earth. "Engines active." The computer suddenly announced. "Engines active." The Doctor gritted his teeth pulling back on the wheel as Alonso hit the wall while Rita grabbed onto the console. Plummeting towards the Earth the Doctor pulled on the wheel with everything he had. The Stone tightening her grip on the console not wanting to hit the wall as the Titanic levelled itself before continuing to head upwards, barely missing the palace and flying up into the sky.

"Whoo hoo!" Frame screamed.

"Ah Ha! Rita shouted hugging the Doctor as he steered the Titanic back into space. "We did it!"

"Used the heat of re-entry to fire up the secondary storm drive. Unsinkable, that's us." He grinned quickly kissing Rita before she sat down the Doctor sitting down between her and Alonso.

"We made it." Alonso breathed.

"Not all of us," Rita mumbled sadly staring down at the floor. The Doctor looked at her then shouted jumping up.

"Teleport!" He pulled Rita up whose eyes widened realising what he was talking about. "She was wearing a teleport bracelet!" The Doctor sprinted into the reception. "Rickston, sonic!" He shouted, Rita ran in behind him and quietly gasped at the sight of the teleport unit which looked completely ruined. The Doctor caught his sonic and turned to Mister Copper. "Mister Copper, the teleports, have they got emergency settings?"

He shrugged at him as Rita ran over to help the Doctor. "I don't know. They should have."

"She fell, Mister Copper." The Doctor explained. "She fell. What's the emergency code?"

"Er, let me see." He went over to help them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Alonso asked as Mister Copper tried to help. Rita and the Doctor began to work on the unit.

"We can bring her back." The Doctor told him.

"If a passenger has an accident on shore leave and they're still wearing their teleport, their molecules are automatically suspended and held in stasis" Mister Copper explained, "so if we can just trigger the shift."

"There!" The Doctor shouted.

An image of Astrid then appeared. Rita looked over fiddling with the wires and shaking her head.

"I'm falling." Astrid cried out in fear.

"Only halfway there." The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Come on."

"I keep falling."

"Feed back the molecule grid. Boost it with the restoration matrix." Rita slowly shook her head moving away.

"No, no, no, no, no! Need more phase containment." The Doctor shouted.

"Doctor." Mister Copper swallowed.

"No!" He shook his head. "If I can just link up the surface suspension."

"Doctor we can't." Rita swallowed whispering.

"I just need to override the safety." He said to her. "I can do this. I can do it."

"Doctor please." She begged walking over to him.

"I can do anything!" He shouted turning to her. His face fixed with anger and desperation. She flinched away at the sudden outburst. The Doctor saw the fear and hurt in her eyes, fear of _him_. His face softened and he pulled her in, hugging her tightly, his face in the crook of her neck as she did the same to him.

"Even if we did, it's too late." She whispered and felt him slightly nodded understanding.

"Stop me falling," Astrid begged.

The Time Lords looked up as Mister Copper explained to them. "There's not enough left. The system was too badly damaged. She's just atoms, Doctor, Stone. An echo with the ghost of consciousness. She's stardust."

The Doctor took Rita's hand. "Astrid Peth, citizen of Sto. The woman who looked at the stars and dreamt of travelling." He looked at Rita who nodded.

"You can live your dream Astrid."

"Now you can travel forever." The Doctor raised his arm, pointing his sonic at the window which then slightly opened. Astrid then turned into specks of light. "You're not falling, Astrid, you're flying." The light then flew out the window as the two watched sadly.

The Doctor had his arm around Rita's waist as she rested her head on his shoulder, the two of them staring into the distance. Alonso walked over to them after checking the bridge. "The engines have stabilised." He told them softly knowing that they were upset. "We're holding steady till we get help, and I've sent the SOS. A rescue ship should be here within twenty minutes. And they're digging out the records on Max Capricorn. It should be quite a story."

"They'll want to talk to all of us, I suppose," Mister Copper asked.

"I'd have thought so, yeah."

"I think one or two inconvenient truths might come to light." Mister Copper sighed. "Still, it's my own fault, and ten years in jail is better than dying."

Slade stepped in front of the Doctor and Rita he had clearly been crying, his voice cracked as he spoke. "Doctor, Stone, I never said thank you." He hugged them both as they stood there looking distant and uncomfortable. "The funny thing is, I said Max Capricorn was falling apart." He then went on to explain clearly not seeing the hurt look on both their faces which should have told him that they didn't want to be spoken too much right now. "Before the crash, I sold all my shares" Rita clenched her jaw, "Transferred them to his rivals. It's made me rich. What do you think of that?"

"You want to know what I think?" Rita questioned. "This is exactly what I think." She spat punching the man right in the nose. "People have died today!" She shouted face to face with the man as he stumbled backwards holding his nose in pain. "People who had become my friends!" She screamed in his face as he flinched. "And what do you care about?! Your precious money!" She huffed glaring at him. He shivered slightly and jumped as his vone rang before quickly turning away.

"I hate violence." She hissed watching him leave. "But people I cared about died."

The Doctor sadly sighed not saying a word letting her tightly hug him, allowing her to grieve.

Mister Copper looked at them both. "Of all the people to survive, he's not the one you would have chosen, is he?" He asked them then started to talk again. "But if you could choose Doctor, Stone if you decide who lives and who dies, that would make you the monsters."

"Mister Copper, I think you deserve one of these." The Doctor handed him a teleport bracelet before putting one on himself and placing one on Rita's wrist. Alonso then saluted them both before they disappeared.

The three slowly walked through the grass back on Earth in the snow the Doctor and Rita saw the TARDIS on the grass in perfect condition.

"So, Great Britain is part of Europey," Mister Copper said after listening to what the Time Lords had told him about Earth as they walked "and just across the British Channel, you've got Great France and Great Germany."

"No, no" the Doctor shook his head at the man "it's just-" He lightly chuckled. "It's just France and Germany. Only Britain is Great."

"Oh, and they're all at war with the continent of Ham Erica." He said.

Rita laughed, the Doctor did as well. "No. Well, not yet. Er, could argue that one. There she is." He nodded to the TARDIS patting her and changing the topic. "Survive anything."

"You know, between us, I don't even thing this snow is real. I think it's the ballast from the Titanic's salvage entering the atmosphere."

"Yeah." The Doctor sighed glancing at Rita for a moment. "One of these days it might snow for real."

"So, I, I suppose you'll be off." Mister Copper stuttered.

"The open sky."

"And, what about me?"

"We travel alone." He looked at Rita forcing a small smile. "It's best that way."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Mister Copper can I see that credit card?" Rita asked. He handed it to her shrugging.

"It's just petty cash. Spending money. It's all done by computer." He explained. "I didn't really know the currency, so I thought a million might cover it."

"A million?" She asked. "In pounds?"

"That enough for trinkets?"

"Rita laughed. "Mister Copper that's worth fifty million credits."

"How much?" He gaped at her. The Doctor laughed patting the man's shoulder. "Fifty million and fifty-six."

"I've got money." He gasped.

"Yes, you have."

"Oh, my word." He gasped. "Oh, my Vot! Oh, my goodness me. Yee ha!"

"It's all yours." Rita handed it back to him as the Doctor continued for her. "Planet Earth. Now, that's a retirement plan. But just you be careful, though." The Doctor warned him.

"I will, I will." He nodded slowly walking off. "Oh, I will."

"No interfering." Rita pointed at him. "I don't want to have to drag the Doctor half way through time and space to fix your mess, have a nice life."

"But I can have a house." He gasped muttering to himself. "A proper house, with a garden, and a door, and. Oh, Doctor, Stone, I will made you both proud. And I can have a kitchen with chairs, and windows, and plates, and..." he started to skip away.

"Er, where are you going?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, I've no idea." He shrugged at them.

"Neither do we." Rita smiled up at the Doctor. "It's more fun that way."

"But Doctor, Stone I won't forget her." He told them. They both sadly smiled. "Merry Christmas, Mister Copper." They whispered watching him head off. The Time Lords watched him leave before walking towards the TARDIS.

It had been over an hour since Rita had left the Doctor in the console room alone while she went to change out of the dress. He began to slightly wonder why it had taken her an hour. Wondering the halls he saw her bedroom door slightly open and heard quiet mumbling from the other side of the door. Frowning the Doctor lightly knocked on it with his knuckles hearing a quiet 'come in' he entered the room seeing the blonde lying on her bed face up with her knees in the air, back in her blazer. "What are you doing?" He asked moving over and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Thinking." She replied not looking at him, just staring up at the ceiling.

"About?" He raised a brow watching her eyes flicker over the pattern on the ceiling.

"Everyone that I lost." She sighed sitting up. "Thinking used to help me feel better in my previous body." She pursed her lips then continued talking. "Doesn't work anymore." She then looked over at the small squares of chocolate on the bed. "So I tried chocolate, doesn't work either, I just feel like it's my fault, I promised them, Doctor."

"We both did." He sighed. "Come on," holding out his hand the blonde frowned and took his hand.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he led her out of her room, heading towards the console.

"You promised me a dance yesterday." He replied not looking at her.

"Doctor I don't feel like dancing" she sighed "I just want to crawl into my bed and sleep.

"That isn't going to make you any better Rita, so we will dance." She rolled her eyes as he smirked stopping at the console she shook her head as he placed his hands on her waist while she placed hers around his neck loosely.

"So we're just going to dance in silence?" She raised a brow as they started to slowly sway.

"I also wanted to talk to you." He mumbled.

"Okay," she thought for a moment wondering what was wrong by the look on his face. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Back on the ship" he swallowed. "When talking about Christmas you went to say something but stopped yourself, what did you want to say?"

"Well..." she looked around at everything but him. "I... er..." she bit her lip. "You'll think it's a horrible idea."

"Stone." He looked into her eyes showing a serious expression. "Please just tell me."

"I've never really got to have a Christmas when I was human, being alone and all that." She muttered looking down "And I never had a proper one, we're best friends Doctor and in all these centres we never have had a 'proper' Christmas I dislike 'domestics' _almost_ as much as you do and when we were telling Mister Copper about Christmas I remember when you said to Donna about..." she swallowed looking at him. "And I was thinking... well... maybe you would..."

"Yes." He cut her off chuckling. "Yes, we can have our own Christmas." He grinned at her. She blinked for a moment looking at him not piecing what he had just said with her brain. "Speaking of Christmas I have a surprise. Rita groaned as the Doctor dragged her back down the hall.

"You know I hate surprises."

"I do." He widely smiled at her pulling her into a room.

"Doctor, What are we doing in here?" She asked before frowning seeing quite a few boxes scattered around.

"I've kept this for a long time." He mumbled digging into a box then bringing out a small globe.

"Is that." She gasped reaching her arms out slightly looking at it, it was just how she remembered, the orange sky and the beautiful mountains. "The globe you gave me of Gallifrey when we became friends." She looked up at him. "How?"

"You know I said I took your mothers necklace before the Time War, well I took this as well. Kept it in my room until it broke my hearts seeing it every day so I placed it in here."

"Thank you." She took the globe from his hands and squeezed him tightly in a hug. "Thank you, Doctor." She then pulled away. "But I don't have anything for you..."

"I don't need anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Having you by my side every single day is all I have ever wanted." He tucked a loose hair behind her ear and then gently moving her face to his cupping her cheek and slowly kissed her lips.


	7. Partners in Crime

Rita walked down the street with the Doctor walking past the busy Londoners going about their day, they recently found odd disappearance and signals coming from a 'fat company' obviously being themselves they couldn't help but investigate.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Rita raised her brows at the Doctor. "Last time we did something like this you got the wrong address."

"That wasn't my fault" the Doctor grumbled in protest.

"Whose fault was it then?" Rita asked raising a brow.

"Yours." He muttered looking down slightly blushing.

"Okay." She shook her head, rolling her eyes and took his hand clearing her throat. "Come on then." They looked around and found a back entrance, the Doctor used his sonic to open the door creating a spark in the process. They headed through what was a basement corridor while looking round. The Doctor then flashed his psychic paper at a guard as he passed them.

"John Smith and Rita Stone. Health and Safety." The guard nodded at them then continued walking. They found the projector room and headed in walking up and watching the presentation through a small window.

They noticed a woman standing on what looked like a podium. "Adipose Industries, the twenty-first century way to lose weight. No exercise, no diet, no pain. Just lifelong freedom from fat." She announced to the several dozens in the room sitting in the cinema like chairs. "The Holy Grail of the modern age. And here it is. You just take one capsule. One capsule, once a day for three weeks, and the fat, as they say...

"The fat just walks away." The Narrator on screen took over.

"Excuse me, Miss Foster." They looked down at a woman speaking. "If I could? I'm Penny Carter, science correspondent for The Observer. There are a thousand diet pills on the market, a thousand con men stealing people's money. How do we know the fat isn't going straight into your bank account?"

"Oh, Penny, if cynicism burnt up calories, we'd all be as thin as rakes." Miss Foster chuckled. "But if you want the science, I can oblige."

"Adipose Industries." The film started up showing a capsule. "The Adipose capsule is composed of a synthesised mobilising lipase, bound to a large protein molecule.

"The mobilising lipase breaks up the triglycerides stored in the adipose cells, which then enter..."

"You were right." The Doctor whispered to the Time Lady. "This does look strange." She went to speak but jumped slightly at the sound of the door behind them opening, the Doctor and Rita both looked at a man who was slightly frowning at them as he walked in. The Doctor flashed his psychic paper at him as he then nodded reading it.

"Health and Safety."

"Of the film department," Rita added after the man gave the Doctor an odd look before he shrugged, the man then left them alone. They both looked back seeing that Miss Foster started to talk again.

"One hundred percent legal, one hundred percent effective."

"But, can I just ask, how many people have taken the pills to date?" Penny questioned writing down some notes.

"We've already got one million customers within the Greater London area alone, but from next week, we start rolling out nationwide. The future starts here. And Britain will be thin."

"I don't understand the need to be twigs." Rita shook her head mumbling. "It makes no sense at all, why should someone care about how thin they are?"

The Doctor nodded kissing her cheek while the man in the room wasn't looking. "Exactly." He whispered. "Come on let's go look around the call center, see if they could help us."

The Doctor and Rita walked through the building glancing at the people in the cubicles all on phones and computers, they ducked into a cubical where a young woman glanced at them continuing to chat on the phone. "We deliver within three working days."

The Doctor whispered holding up his psychic paper. "John Smith and Rita Stone, Health and Safety. Don't mind us." She nodded looking at them continuing to talk.

"The box comes with 21 days worth of pills, a full information pack, and our special free gift, an Adipose Industries pendant." She held up a box. Rita frowned slightly and picked it up opening the box and taking out the pendant slightly frowning at it, knowing that there was more to it than that, people don't just go around handing out stuff like that, especially a fat company. She then passed it to the Doctor to have a look at.

"It's made of eighteen carat gold, and it's yours for free." The woman said into the phone. "No, we don't give away pens, sorry. No, I can't make an exception, no."

"We better keep this for a while," Rita informed the woman as the Doctor handed the pendant back to her, placing it into her pocket. "Say you wouldn't be able to print off a list of some of your customers?" She raised a brow, the woman nodded and started to type at her computer.

The Doctor stood up looking around. "Is the printer there?" He asked looking near a plant pot.

"By the plant, yeah." The woman nodded.

"Brilliant." He sat back down waiting for the woman to tell them it had been sent to the printer. Rita tried to hide her smirk noticing the way the woman was looking at the Doctor who was completely oblivious to her gaze.

The Doctor then jumped up again. "Has it got paper?"

"Yeah, Jimbo keeps it stocked."

Rita rolled her eyes at him _"Stop jumping up and down, you're not a child."_

 _"What if I am?"_ He smirked at her.

 _"You should be setting an example."_ She rolled her eyes again seeing the grin on his face. They looked up to see Miss Foster standing in the middle of the room with two guards beside her.

"Excuse me, everyone, if I could have your attention." She announced, everyone stopped what they were doing giving her their full attention. "On average, you're each selling forty Adipose packs per day. It's not enough. I want one hundred sales per person per day. And if not, you'll be replaced." She looked at everyone in the room, the Doctor and Rita hid behind the cubical as she turned to their direction. "Because if anyone's good in trimming the fat, it's me. Now. Back to it." She then left with the guards as the workers began to move around again.

"Anyway..." The Doctor glanced at Rita seeing the hidden smirk and not understanding what it was for. "If you could print that off. Thanks."

The Doctor and Rita then stood up to leave, the woman slightly pushed the Doctor back down and handed him a small piece of paper, Rita watched on with amusement.

"Oh, what's that?"

"My telephone number." The woman slyly smiled at him.

The Doctor frowned then glanced at Rita seeing the amused look on her face then looked back at the woman. "What for?"

"Health and Safety." She continued to smile at him slyly. "You be health, I'll be safety."

"Ah." The Doctors eyes snapped to Rita who just crossed her arms in amusement. "Ah." He looked at her pleading for help.

"Sorry but that contravenes paragraph five, subsection C." Rita cut in, the woman slightly jumped forgetting her presents and glared at the blonde. "Sorry." Rita smugly looked at her taking the Doctors hand and heading to the printer.

"What was that?" He asked her quietly.

"What was what?" She frowned.

"That." He looked at her. "You didn't look worried at all?"

"Why should I?" She shrugged. "Come on Doctor as if I would waste my time being jealous of every single woman who threw themselves at you." She laughed. "They can flirt with you as much as they want for all I care, if it _ever_ went the other way then you would have me to deal with." She pointed at him her face becoming serious before it grew into an innocent smile "Plus I know what you're like so why should I bother being jealous?" She asked smirking at the shocked look on his face where he obviously wasn't expecting that. Rita glanced at the printer seeing it hadn't printer and shook her head. "Stay here." She pointed at him. "I mean it, Doctor."

"Yes sir." he joked as she walked off back to the woman's desk.

"Hi, sorry," Rita said the woman turned around seeing it was her, a tiny bit of disappointment and annoyance struck her face when she saw the blonde. "Printer didn't have the list, could you print it again?"

"Sure." She nodded turning around and printed the list again.

"Here we are." Rita looked up at the Doctor who rang the doorbell. The door shortly opened and a slightly old man around his 50's stood inside.

"Mister Roger Davey?" The Doctor asked as the man nodded. "We're calling on behalf of Adipose Industries. Just need to ask you a few questions."

"Of course" He nodded for the two of them to follow him inside. He sat down in his chair as the Doctor and Rita remained standing.

"How long have you been using Adipose?" Rita asked.

"I've been on the pills for two weeks now. I've lost fourteen kilos."

"That's the same amount every day?" The Doctor asked him.

"One kilo exactly. You wake up, and it's disappeared overnight." He stated. "Well, technically speaking, it's gone by ten past one in the morning." Rita and the Doctor frowned and both stopped slowly pacing around the living room.

"What makes you say that?"

"That's when I get woken up. Might as well weigh myself at the same time."

"How do you know it's ten past one?" Rita crossed her arms against her chest.

"I'll show you." He got up and walked outside with the Doctor and Rita following him. "It is driving me mad. Ten minutes past one, every night, bang on the dot without fail, the burglar alarm goes off." He nodded up at it. "I've had experts in, I've had it replaced, I've even phoned Watchdog. But no, ten past one in the morning, off it goes."

"But with no burglars?"

"Nothing. I've given up looking."

"Tell me, Roger." The Doctor looked at the man. "Have you got a cat flap?" He nodded and they followed him back inside to the kitchen.

"It was here when I bought the house." He said as the Doctor moved to the floor lying down on his stomach pushing the cat flap up with his sonic. "I've never bothered with it, really. I'm not a cat person." Roger explained.

"No, we've met cat people." The Doctor muttered looking out of the flap. "You're nothing like them."

"It's that what it is, though?" He asked. "Cats getting inside the house?"

"Well, thing about cat flaps is, they don't just let things in-"

"They let things out as well." Rita cut in.

"Like what?" Roger looked at them.

The Doctor then quietly said "the fat just walks away." He then stood up brushed himself off and looked at Rita.

"We should be going now." She announced as the Doctor nodded in agreement. Roger led them back outside to the front of the house.

"Well, thanks for your help. Tell you what, maybe you could lay off the pills for a week or so..." He was cut off by a beeping sound in his pockets, patting himself he pulled out the Y shaped device. "Oh. Got to go. Sorry." He and Rita both turned and ran down the street following the signal. He then stopped and started to hit it.

"Give it here." She rolled her eyes taking the device and blowing on it a few times. "Ah ha!" She beamed running down the street with the Doctor running up beside her. "Do keep up sweetheart." She laughed while following the signal.

They continued running as Rita hit the device standing in the middle of the road. The Doctors eyes widened seeing a black van heading straight for Rita who continued hitting the device. The Doctor pulled her out the way as it zoomed past. She blinked before the Doctor tightly hugged her. "You alright?" He breathed into her neck.

"I- I'm fine." She hugged him back before the device beeped again the two of them sprinted down the road putting the dots together that the signal was coming from the van.

The device then stopped beeping, the Doctor and Rita sighed knowing that they lost the signal. Slowly they walked through an alleyway heading back to the TARDIS.

"Oh, fascinating." The Doctor hummed staring at the pendant through a magnifying glass. "Seems to be a bio-flip digital stitch, specifically for..." he looked up and frowned not seeing Rita anywhere.

"What are you doing?" He jumped turning around and seeing Rita stood their brows raised holding a packet of ready salted crisps in her hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked her eyeing the packet in her hand.

"I got hungry." She shrugged "it appears that I have found out that this body really likes salty food." She shrugged again placing a crisp in her mouth while walking over to the TARDIS doors. She looked back at the Doctor and frowned at him. "Well come on." She rolled her eyes. "I thought you wanted to find out more about the Adipose Doctor, or am I going alone?"

The Doctor quickly walked over stealing a crisp and grinning as she pouted watching him place it in his mouth. Shaking her head she stepped out of the TARDIS standing in an alleyway, they headed to the back entrance again and walked through. The Doctor took the lead walking to a storage room and stepping inside after Rita had. He soniced it locked and Rita looked around. "How long are we going to be here for?" Rita asked him sitting on the small stall in the room.

"About... Nine hours." He said looking at her.

"Nine hours... in a cupboard." She muttered.

"Things could be worse." He smirked stepping closer to her.

"Doctor..." she muttered moving against the wall. "You obviously picked this storage room for a reason." She swallowed deeply as he shuffled closer to her his breath hitting her lightly on her lips.

"Nine hours.." He reminded her smirking at the look she was giving him. She swallowed again her gaze shifting from his eyes to his lips. Well, they could always do that and work on whatever he had picked the storage room for... The Doctor then looked at her mischievously and pressed his lips to hers while pressing her body right up against the wall, deepening the kiss.

Nine hours passed and the Doctor and Rita stepped outside of the storage room Rita's eyes fixed on the ground as she attempted to fix her hair. The Doctor was at all no better with his hair sticking up in multiple directions grinning to himself before noticing the blondes face and feeling his smile widening. "That was... different." She breathed heavily catching the Doctors gaze on her, feeling her blush grow as he started to blush as well.

"It was... fun." He smirked. Rita rolled her eyes hitting his arm in the process.

"You really are a child." She shook her head.

"I'm older than you." He reminded her in protest.

"Right now you're acting like the typical hormonal human teenager." The Doctor looked at her offended before she burst out laughing as he frowned not understanding what was funny. She wiped her eyes and looked at him seriously. "Okay..." She nodded in agreement. "That was... fun." She agreed seeing his smile grow. "Come on then," she took his hand. "Let's go and see what we can find, sweetheart." The Doctor and Rita then headed up to the roof. The Doctor climbed into the window cleaners cradle as Rita looked down. "Erm..." she mumbled looking over the edge and swallowing hard. "That's a big drop..."

"Rita you'll be fine." He reassured her looking straight into her green eyes. "I promise you." He held out his arms, she then walked up the steps and got in with his help as he lowered the cradle keeping an arm wrapped around the blonde's waist.

The cradle then stopped, the Doctor and Rita looked around before ducking under the view of the large window seeing Miss Foster enter. The Doctor brought out a stethoscope and Rita placed her head beside his. He then placed one of the buds in his ear and placed the other in Rita's then used the stethoscope so they could both listen in on the conversation.

"You can't tie me up." They heard the voice of Penny snap. "What sort of a country do you think this is?"

"Oh, it's a beautifully fat country. And believe me, I've travelled a long way to find obesity on this scale."

"So, come on then, Miss Foster, those pills. What are they?" She asked.

"Well, you might just as well have a scoop, since you'll never see it printed. This is the spark of life." Rita frowned slightly looking up and seeing Miss Foster holding one of the capsules.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Penny asked as Rita moved back down next to the Doctor.

"Officially, the capsule attracts all the fat cells and flushes them away. Well, it certainly attracts them. That part's true. But it binds the fat together and galvanises it to form a body."

"What do you mean, a body?" Penny spat.

"I am surprised you never asked about my name. I chose it well. Foster. As in foster mother. And these are my children."

"You're kidding me." She gasped. "What the hell is that?"

Rita and the Doctor both looked at each other frowning and then poked their heads up looking through the window and seeing a small white blob with eyes sitting on Miss Foster's desk.

"Adipose." Miss Foster informed them. "It's called an Adipose. Made out of living fat."

"But I don't understand."

"From ordinary human people." Rita frowned looking around the room before looking directly ahead of her, her mouth gaped open seeing Donna on the other side watching Miss Foster. Without moving her eyes Rita tapped the Doctors shoulder. He looked over at her and frowned then followed her gaze, his eyes widened as Donna's open mouth gaped open seeing them.

"Donna?" The Doctor and Rita both mouthed.

"Doctor?" She mouthed back then frowned at Rita. "Whose she?"

"It's the Stone!" Rita mouthed to Donna gleefully.

"What?" She mouthed back as the Doctor mouthed to her. "But what? What? What?"

"Oh my god!" Donna looked at them in shock still confused about the blonde next to him.

"But how?"

"It's me!" Donna pointed to herself happily.

"Yes, I can see that."

"Oh, this is brilliant." She gave them a thumbs up as Rita continued to mouth "it's the Stone" to the redhead.

"What the hell are you doing there?" The Doctor asked her.

"I was looking for you."

"What for?"

"I read it on the internet." She mouthed "Weird. Crept along." She gestured people quietly walking. "Heard them talking. Hid. You-" she paused seeing Miss Foster had spotted them.

"Are we interrupting you?" Miss Foster asked.

"Run!" The Doctor shouted to her.

"Get her." Miss Foster ordered the guards as the Doctor locked the door by Donna with his sonic screwdriver.

"And them." She ordered. Rita already had her own sonic out pointing up at the cradle controls sending it back.

"Oh, this is about to get confusing for Donna," Rita muttered. The cradle then reached the top and the pair jumped out running to the door and heading down the stairs. They bumped into Donna and Rita pulled her in for a hug while laughing seeming to forget her change of appearance as the red head in snapped her pushing the blonde off.

"Who the hell are you!"

"Oh... forget about that," Rita muttered to the Doctor who smirked at her. "Donna it's me the Stone!"

"You're not the Stone!" She shouted. "She's a brunette and has an English accent, your welsh and you are blonde!"

"Yeah, long story short I got shot by my cousin's wife well, sort of wife... that's going to be a fun story in a few years, I kind of died and regenerated which means I basically look and sound different. I'll explain it in more detail later."

"But-"

"Donna I'm still me" she promised. "I just look and sound a bit different with some really weird habits. It's still me, still the Stone you met on Christmas day after the encounter with the Racnoss."

Donna nodded slowly then turned to the Doctor hugging him. "Oh, my God. I don't believe it." She then let him go and looked at him. "You've even got the same suit! Don't you ever change?" She asked.

"Yeah, thanks, Donna." He said. "Not right now."

Rita and the Doctor then looked down the stairway and saw the guards running up. "Come on Donna, just like old times!" The Doctor beamed running up the stairs with the two.

"Because I thought, how do you find the Doctor and the Stone? And then I just thought, look for trouble and then they'll turn up." She said as the Doctor soniced the door. "So I looked everywhere." She followed them as they ran to the cradle. "You name it. UFOs, sightings, crop circles, sea monsters. I looked, I found them all. Like that stuff about the bees disappearing, I thought, I bet they're connected. Because the thing is, Doctor, Stone, I believe it all now. You two opened my eyes. All those amazing things out there, I believe them all." She smiled. "Well, apart from that replica of the Titanic flying over Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day. I mean, that's got to be a hoax."

"What do you mean, the bees are disappearing?" The Time Lords looked at her.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "That's what it says on the internet. Well, on the same site, there was all these conspiracy theories about Adipose Industries and I thought, let's take a look." The Doctor then soniced the cradle controls and jumped in with Rita.

"In you get!" The Doctor told her.

"What, in that thing?" She looked between them as if they were crazy. Which they were.

"Yes, in that thing."

"But if we go down in that, they'll just call us back up again." She protested.

"No, no, no, because I've locked the controls with a sonic cage. The Stone and I are the only two that can control it." Rita glared at him. "Not unless she's got a sonic device of her own, which is very unlikely."

"Don't jinx it, Doctor!" Rita told him as Donna got in, the cradle then lowered down to Miss Foster's office again. Suddenly the cradle began to fall. The Doctor pointed his sonic at the cable forcing it to stop.

"Hold on." He said trying to sonic the window with Rita's help. "Hold on. We can get in through the window."

"Deadlock." Rita gritted her teeth. "Our sonics are useless."

"Well, smash it then!" Donna shouted turning around and finding a spanner on the floor beginning to hit it at the window. The Doctor and Rita started ti hit it as well until Donna gasped looking up. "She's cutting the cable." The Doctor and Rita snapped their heads up as the cable snapped. The Doctor grabbed Rita by the waist keeping her in pside the cradle, Rita tried to grab for Donna, however, she fell out.

"Donna!" The Doctor and Rita both shouted moving to the edge to see Donna dangling from the end of the broken cable.

"Doctor!" She screamed. "Stone!"

"Hold on!" The Doctor shouted at her.

"I am! Doctor!" She shouted back at him her feet dangling in the air.

Rita looked down at Donna then up seeing Miss Foster start to sonic the other cable. "No, you don't." She muttered aiming her sonic at Miss Fosters and causing the woman to drop her sonic in pain. With the Doctor holding her waist she reached and caught the falling pen and tucked it into her pocket. The Doctor smirked at her then shook his head focusing back on what he was doing before climbing through the window.

"I'm going to fall!" Donna screamed at them.

The Doctor continued to climb, Rita behind him. "This is all your fault!" Donna shouted at the two Time Lords. "I should've stayed at home!"

"We won't be a minute!" The Doctor shouted back sliding up the window and climbing in falling to the ground before jumping up and helping Rita. Taking his hand after safety being inside Rita and the Doctor sprinted down to Miss Foster's office.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Penny snapped as the Doctor and Rita ran in over to the window.

"What are you, a journalist?" The Doctor asked looking at her.

"Yes."

"Well, make it up then," Rita told the woman "Dear Rassilon, journalism in 2009 has really let itself go." Rita muttered helping the Doctor unlock the door. They grabbed Donna's legs as she kicked and screamed at them.

"Donna it's us!" Rita shouted as the Doctor told the woman to stop kicking him in the face. The Doctor and Rita then pulled her inside.

"I was right. It's always like this with you two, innit?" She asked brushing down her clothes

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor grinned taking Rita's hand. "And off we go." They ran out with Donna behind them. Rita pulled herself out of the Doctors grip and ran back to the room, she poked her head in at the struggling Penny and soniced the rope to free her. "Just do yourself a favour and get out." She then ran back to the Doctor took his hand again and ran.


	8. Partners in Crime - Two

The Doctor, Stone and Donna ran through the floors before skidding to a stop in the middle of the call centre as Miss Foster accompanied by her two guards stopped standing right in front of them.

"Well, then. At last." She looked between the three.

Donna waved at the woman eyeing the guns in the guard's arms. "Hello."

"Nice to meet you, I'm the Doctor." He waved.

Rita nodded also noticing the guns. "I'm the Stone"

"And I'm Donna."

"Partners in crime." Miss Foster looked between the Time Lords. "With a companion." He nodded at Donna before looking at both the Time Lords once more. "And evidently off-worlders, judging by your sonic technology."

"Ah, that reminded me." Rita patted herself down then held the sonic pen tossing it lightly in the air watching it spin then catching it. "I still have your sonic pen. It's quiet nice, not as good as my sonic which I just like to call a sonic, still it's good." She looked at the pen impressed then handed it to the Doctor.

"Sleek. It's kind of sleek." He then let Donna look at it. "Oh, it's definitely sleek." She nodded in agreement with them.

The Doctor took then pen back from her. "Yeah, and if you were to sign your real name, that would be...?"

"Matron Cofelia of the Five Straighten Classabindi Nursery Fleet." She informed them. "Intergalactic Class."

"A wet nurse" he nodded "using humans as surrogates."

"I've been employed by the Adiposian First Family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet was lost."

The Doctor and Rita frowned, something wasn't adding up, first the bees and now lost planets. "What do you mean lost?" The Doctor asked her. "How do you lose a planet?"

"Oh, politics are none of my concern." She waved a hand. "I'm just here to take care of the children on behalf of the parents."

"What, like an outer space super nanny?" Donna asked.

"Yes, if you like."

"So. So those little things, they're, they're made out of fat, yeah" she asked trying to wrap her head around the situation, "but that woman, Stacy Campbell, there was nothing left of her."

"Oh, in a crisis the Adipose can convert bone and hair and internal organs." She shrugges not caring. "Makes them a little bit sick, poor things." Rita watched her face becoming cold.

"What about poor Stacy?"

"Seeding a level five planet is against strictly galactic law." Rita coldly warned.

"Are you threatening me?" Miss Foster glared at her.

"She's trying to help you, Matron." The Doctor cut in. "This is your one chance, because if you don't call this off, then we'll have to stop you."

"I hardly think you can stop bullets." Miss Foster said as the guards then took aim. The Doctor pushed Rita behind her as she pushed Donna behind herself.

"No, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on." The Doctor raised his hands, sonic screwdriver in one and sonic pen in the other. "One more thing, before... dying. Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?" Rita quietly winced knowing what would happen from experimenting with her own sonic and the Doctors when she was curious one time.

"No." Miss Foster replied.

"Nor me." He grinned. "Let's find out." He activated the sonics, Rita and Donna covered their ears as the horrid noise echoed in the room shattering glass nearby. Miss Foster and the two guards stumbled back in pain also holding their ears as the screeching sound continued. Rita then nudged the Doctor to stop the noise seeing that Miss Foster and the guards wouldn't be following them, she grabbed his hand and ran out with Donna following behind them. "Come on!" She shouted as they ran.

The Doctor then took the lead back through the basement corridor and back to the storage room. Rita felt her cheeks begin to burn remembering what happened earlier in the day, she was snapped out of her daydream by the crash of objects on the floor which the Doctor was throwing out of the room.

"Well, that's one solution." Donna shrugged not noticing the Time Lady's face. "Hide in a cupboard. I like it."

"We've been hacking into this thing all day-"

"Amongst other things..." Rita muttered. The Doctor looked at Rita for a moment. Donna frowned and looked between them. The Doctor shook his head violently and opened the wall. "Anyway..." He coughed his voice seeming to be a slightly higher pitch than usual. "We were hacking into this because the matron's got a computer core running through the centre of the building." He explained. "Triple deadlocked. But now we've got this..." he held up her sonic pen "we can get into it." He started to connect wires together.

"She's wired up the whole building." Rita explained to Donna.

"We need a bit of privacy." The Doctor held two wires together

"Just enough to stop them." Rita said seeing Donna's worried face. "They'll just have a nasty headache when they wake up."

"Why's she wired up the tower block?" The Doctor muttered. "What's it all for?"

"No idea," Rita muttered helping him connect wires together.

"You both look older." Donna said watching them.

"Thanks." The Doctor and Rita looked back at her.

"Still on your own?"

"Yup. Well, no. We had this friend. Martha she was called. Martha Jones. She was brilliant. And I destroyed half her life..."

"You didn't." Rita stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "You know she loved traveling but she had to stay home because of what the Master did. That is not your fault Doctor." She pointed at him. "Don't blame yourself."

He slowly nodded swallowing then looked at Donna. "She's fine, she's good. She's gone."

"What about Rose?" Donna softly asked.

"Still lost." The Doctor replied looking down. Rita placed an arm on his shoulder. The Doctor looked over his shoulder at Donna and changed the subject "I thought you were going to travel the world?"

"Easier said than done." She chuckled. "It's like I had that one day with you two... and I was going to change. I was going to do so much. Then I woke up the next morning, same old life. It's like you were never there." She sighed "And I tried. I did try. I went to Egypt. I was going to go barefoot and everything. And then it's all bus trips and guidebooks and don't drink the water, and two weeks later you're back home. It's nothing like being with you two. I must have been mad turning down that offer."

"What offer?" The Doctor asked.

"To come with you."

"Come with us?" He said. Rita rolled her eyes continuing to mess with the wires.

"Oh yes, please." Donna beamed. The Doctor looked at Rita who was grinning with amusement.

"Right." He slowly nodded.

"Inducer activated." The computer informed.

"That's not good." Rita muttered.

"What's it doing now?" Donna asked them.

"She's started the programme." The Doctor said helping Rita with more wires.

"So far they're just losing weight, but the Matron's gone up to emergency pathogenesis." The Doctor informed searching his pocket.

"And that's when they convert," Donna said.

"Skeletons, organs, everything." Rita looked up. "A million people are going to die. Got to cancel the signal." The Doctor took out the pendant dismantling it then handing it to Rita.

"This contains a primary signal." He explained as Rita connected it to the inducer. "If we can switch it off, the fat goes back to being just fat." He then helped her attach it.

"Inducer increasing." The computer announced.

"No, no, no, no, no." The Time Lords looked at each other then the machine.

"She's doubled it. We need-" The Doctor ran a hand through his hair.

"We don't have time." Rita cut in. "It's too far. We can't override it." She started hitting the machine. "They're all gonna die!"

"Is there anything I can do?" Donna then spoke up seeing the worry in their faces.

"Sorry, Donna, this is way beyond you." The Doctor said. "Got to double the base pulse... we can't."

"Doctor, Stone tell me. What do you need?" She said.

"We need a second capsule to boost the override..." he explained to her while Rita tried connecting more wires, "but we've only got the one."

"We can't save them." Rita ran a hand through her own hair she turned and saw Donna holding another pendant in the air. She beamed and took it out of the redhead's hand as the Doctor then connected it to the inducer shutting it down.

"Donna you saved them all!" Rita laughed hugging the woman. They then all looked up hearing a loud noise outside.

"What the hell was that?" Donna gasped.

"It's the ship," Rita said quietly hearing it outside in the sky.

"Fine. When you say nursery you don't mean a crèche in Notting Hill." Donna guessed.

"Nursery ship." The computer then lit up and stated an incoming signal before a voice started talking through.

The Doctor and Rita listening in as Donna asked: "Hadn't we better go and stop them?"

"Hang on." The Doctor held up a hand listening. "Instructions from the Adiposian First Family."

They listened as the Doctor explained to Donna. "She's wired up the tower block to convert it into a levitation post."

"Oh no," Rita looked at the Doctor. "They know what she's doing is illegal."

"We're not the ones in trouble now. She is!" The Doctor took Rita's hand running out down the basement corridor with Rita, Donna running behind them.

They ran up to the roof and stood there watching the small fat creatures float into the sky before they started to look around trying to find the woman.

"What you going to do then?" The redhead asked. "Blow them up?"

"They're just children." The Time Lords looked at her. "They can't help where they come from."

"Oh, that makes a change from last time. That Martha must've done you two some good." She looked at them.

"She did, yeah." He nodded. "Yeah. She did."

"She also fancied him." Rita laughed.

"Mad Martha, that one." Donna said. "Blind Martha. Charity Martha." She shrugged. They watched the white blobs floating in the sky. One of them noticed Donna and waved at her as she waved back at it. "I'm waving at fat." She mumbled.

"Actually, as a diet plan, it sort of works." The Doctor shrugged.

"Look!" Rita said running over to the edge. dragging the Doctor with her noticing Miss Foster floating upwards.

"Matron Cofelia" the Doctor shouted, "listen to us!"

"Oh, I don't think so, Doctor, Stone." She laughed. "And if I never see you again, it'll be too soon."

"Oh, why does no one ever listen." He groaned looking at Rita who nodded in agreement. "We're trying to help!"

"Just get across to the roof!" Rita shouted. "Can you shift the levitation beam?"

"What, so that you can arrest me?" She scoffed.

"Just listen." The Doctor shouted at her. "We saw the Adiposian instructions. They know it's a crime, breeding on Earth. So what's the one thing they want to get rid of? Their accomplice."

"I'm far more than that." She scoffed at them hovering in the levitation beam. "I'm nanny to all these children."

"Exactly!" He shouted. "Mum and Dad have got the kids now. They don't need the nanny anymore." They watched as the beam suddenly switched off without warning, Miss Foster blinked stunned before falling to the floor with a scream. Donna hid her face in the Doctors shoulder not wanting to witness the event as Rita rubbed the womans back. They watched as the last of the Adipose headed up to the ship before it flew off leaving Earth. A couple of moments later the Doctor headed down the stairs with the two. They headed out of the main entrance the Doctor glancing at the sonic pen before tossing it into the bin.

"Oi, you three!" They turned around seeing Penny still tied to the chair, slightly bent over as she moved down the stairs. "You're just mad!" She spat. "Do you hear me? Mad! And I'm going to report you for madness."

"She isn't wrong there." Rita shrugged. "Just slightly mad."

"You see," Donna said to the Time Lords as Penny shuffled off, "some people just can't take it."

"No." The Doctor said.

"And some people can." She beamed speaking about herself. "So, then. TARDIS!" She grabbed both their arms. "Come on." She dragged them away, they walked towards the alleyway where they had left the TARDIS Rita laughed at the woman's excitement as they walked her trying to make them move faster, Donna's eyes lit up before they widened, "that's my car!" She exclaimed running up to it, Rita's smile faded thinking that it was a little odd, then again stranger things happened that she had heard and witnessed, that was the life of a Time Lady, especially a life with the Doctor.  
"That is like destiny." She ran around to the boot as the Doctor and Rita watched. "And I've been ready for this." She opened it revealing multiple suit cases filling up all the space in the boot, "I packed ages ago," she excitedly beamed taking suitcases out and throwing some in the Doctors arms, "just in case. Because I thought, hot weather, cold weather, no weather." She placed some in Rita's arms and then some more on the floor. "They go anywhere. I've gotta be prepared."

"You've got a... A hat box." He read the label glancing over at Rita who laughed.

"Planet of the Hats, I'm ready." She beamed. "I don't need injections, do I? You know, like when you go to Cambodia. Is there any of that? Because my friend Veena went to Bahrain, and she..." Donna looked at them both her smile fading. "You're not saying much."

"No, it's just." He thought for a moment. "It's a funny old life, in the TARDIS."

"You don't want me." She sadly said Rita's eyes snapped up. "He doesn't mean that." She stepped over a few suitcases standing beside the woman.

"But you asked me." She looked between them devastated. "Would you rather be on your own?"

"No." He paused for a moment glancing over at Rita then looking at Donna. "Actually... No." To be truthful he enjoyed having a companion in the TARDIS, he knew Rita enjoyed it but they missed a whole year and it hurt them both, of course they were getting better but he blamed himself for what happened to Rose and Martha, he didn't want to hurt anyone else. "But the last time, with Martha, like I said, it..." he breathed out explaining, "it got complicated. And that was all my fault." Rita narrowed her eyes at him trying to tell him to stop blaming himself, ignored her look he continued to speak. "I just want a mate."

"You just want _to_ mate?" Donna looked at him horrified. Rita's eyes widened as she desperately tried to stop herself from laughing at what Donna thought she heard.

"I just want _a_ mate!" He said louder.

"You're not mating with me, sunshine!" She said hiding behind the TARDIS.

" _A_ mate." He said louder this time. "I want _a_ mate."

"Well, just as well," Donna snapped, "because I'm not having any of that nonsense. I mean, you're just a long streak of nothing." She waved at him. "You know, alien nothing."

"There we are, then." He said sounding slightly offended at her comment. "Okay."

Donna looked between them her eyes lighting up a little. "I can come?"

"No issues with me." Rita beamed then looked to the Doctor.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Course you can, yeah." He looked at Rita who smiled. "We would love it."

Donna practically jumped on Rita tightly hugging her then went to hug the Doctor. "Oh, that's just..." She stopped blurting out: "car keys."

"What?" The Doctor and Rita frowned at her confused.

"I've still got my mum's car keys." She explained running off while shouting. "I won't be a minute."

They watched run off down the corner. "What?" The Doctor looked at Rita smiling while shaking her head.

"I've been waiting to see Donna again." She said taking the suitcases into the TARDIS. "I always knew we would see her one day, didn't expect to see her so soon."

The Doctor laughed setting down the rest of the suit cases then leant against the console. A few moments later Donna ran in. "Off we go, then."

"Here it is." The Doctor started to walk around. "The TARDIS. It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside."

"Oh, I know that bit." She waved her arm. "Although frankly, you could turn the heating up."

"Never heard that one before." Rita laughed. "Always nice to have a surprise."

"So, whole wide universe," the Doctor looked at Donna standing beside Rita, "where do you want to go?"

"Oh, I know exactly the place." She grinned at them.

"Which is?"

"Two and a half miles that way." She jerked her head to the right.

The Doctor and Rita shared a curious glance. "Off we go then." Rita shrugged turning to the console with the Doctor pressing buttons and pulling levers setting the coordinates a moment later Rita looked over at Donna nodding. The woman ran over to the doors looking back at the Time Lords who nodded once more before she threw them open.

"That's Donna!" The Doctor and Rita faintly heard the shouts of a man, they glanced over at the doors and could see a man jumping up and down waving. "Yeah, that's Donna!" The Doctor and Rita chuckled giving the man a wave as he continued to jump around madly waving and shouting at the woman. "And that's him and her!" He shouted. "It' them!" They heard the man shouting happily making the Time Lords grin. "Hey, it's them! Ha, ha, ha! Go on, gal!" He threw his hat in the air spinning around. "Go on, get up there! Hey!"

"Donna?" Rita called out hearing the woman shuffling about in the TARDIS kitchen. She looked over her shoulder at the Time Lady who smiled nodding for her to come over. "I just came to see if you needed help with anything."

"No, I'm fine." She smiled. "Just making a bit of tea." She held up a cup making her point before offering some to the blonde, "would you like some?"

"Sure." She nodded walking over taking a cup and handing it to the human woman, finishing with the tea she handed the Time Lady hers and sat down at the table.

"Where's the Doctor?" Donna frowned slightly looking around, Rita chuckled in amusement shaking her head, "we do our own things Donna, I don't stay with him every waking moment." She nodded in understanding taking a sip of her drink before placing it down tilting her head a little and asking the question which she was dying to know ever since they had been to the storage room where Rita looked extremely embarrassed. "What are you two?"

Rita looked down a small blush creeping to her cheeks. Donna raised a brow waiting for the Time Lady to reply. Looking up at the redhead she nodded. "Together," she grinned widely. "We're together."

"As in he's your boyfriend?" She asked not understanding what 'together' meant to Time Lords.

"In human sense yes."

The human woman frowned for a moment trying to understand, "What does that mean?"

"Well, technically in the eyes of other Time Lords and definitely pleasing my mother and father we would just be seen as friends."

"Why is that?"

"Time Lords didn't necessarily date... It was mostly arranged marriages if Time Lords did date each other which was very rare and frowned upon they wouldn't be seen as 'together' by the high council or really anyone other than themselves." She sighed wishing that what was saying wasn't actually true.

"And your parents...?" Donna cautiously and carefully asked not wanting to offend her.

"They disliked the Doctor... Despised him actually." Donna frowned.

"Why?"

"They thought he was mad." The woman raised a brow as if to say 'he is' Rita smiled at her amused then nodded. "Okay he is mad, but Time Lords we're supposed to be all formal, he isn't exactly that." She laughed thinking of how childish he was at times. "They hated that he was my friend, even tried to get my cousin to tell him to not talk to me..." She muttered quietly still slightly upset about the whole ordeal even when she didn't want to admit it to herself, he was family. "I eventually found out and got angry, we then found a TARDIS and snuck in every now and then, just sat in the console room and talked for hours upon hours dreaming of the stars, planets we only heard about or read in books." She spoke in awe refreshing her mind of the beautiful memories and conversations as Donna watched softly smiling seeing the love the Time Lady had for the Doctor practically pour out. "Then one day he looked at me when we sat on the floor in the console room, took my hand and asked if I wanted to 'borrow' the TARDIS with him."

"And I don't regret that choice." She spun around seeing the Doctor stood leant against the frame of the door smirking.

"I don't regret accepting the offer." She smiled back before turning to Donna. "After that, we went and picked up his granddaughter who he had promised to take with him to see the stars."

"You loved Susan" she heard him practically smiling fondly at the memories.

"I did." She nodded, "wouldn't stop calling me her grandmother while I'm pretty sure you encouraging." She chuckled seeing a tint of pink now on his face in embarrassment. "Anyways, enough about that." She jumped up. "I'm off to read, tea then read is something I apparently do now." She shrugged as the Doctor laughed in amusement watching her walk past him then head down the halls of the TARDIS.


	9. The Fires of Pompeii

"You know I hate surprises." Rita groaned as the Doctor took her hand not saying a word while leading her out the TARDIS with Donna following, the Doctor then pulled back a small curtain, "Ancient Rome." He laughed loudly then quietened his voice stepping out into the street. "Well, not for them, obviously. To all intents and purposes, right now, this is brand new Rome."

"Oh, my God." Donna gasped staring at them as Rita chuckled in amusement, "It's, it's so Roman. This is fantastic." She hugged the Doctor and Rita as they both laughed at the joyful expression on the human woman's face. "I'm here, in Rome." She looked around, "Donna Noble in Rome. This is just weird. I mean, everyone here's dead."

"People don't take to kindly to being told that they're dead," Rita whispered to Donna the Doctor nodding in agreement.

"Hold on a minute." Donna stopped smiling looking over the Doctor's shoulder making the two turn around in confusion. "That sign over there's in English." They looked over at a small crate to see the sign painted on was in English. "Are you having me on?" She asked. "Are we in Epcot?"

"No, no, no, no." The Doctor shook his head amused "That's the TARDIS translation circuits" The woman looked at him blankly not understanding what that meant.

"Basically it translates to the natural language helps you fit in and read it," Rita explained in better terms for her. "Works with speech as well."

"You're talking Latin right now." The Doctor informed her grinned at the look on her face.

"Seriously?"

"Mmm." The Time Lords hummed nodding.

"I just said 'seriously' in Latin?" Donna asked gleefully, Rita smiled in amusement as the Doctor grinned, "Oh, Yeah."

"What if I said something in actual Latin, like veni, vidi, vici?" Donna started to babble on. "My dad said that when he came back from football. If I said veni, vidi, vici to that lot, what would it sound like?"

"Umm." The Doctor thought then looked at Rita standing beside him.

"No idea." She shrugged. "You threw all of the TARDIS manuals out." She crossed her arms.

"They disagreed with me," He protested. "You have to think of difficult questions, don't you?" He jokingly said to Donna.

"I'm going to try it." She beamed walking over to a man selling fruits, "Afternoon, sweetheart. What can I get you, my love?"

"Er, veni, vidi, vici."

"Huh?" He frowned at her. "Sorry? Me no speak Celtic," he said thinking she couldn't understand him. "No can do, missy."

"Yeah," Donna said walking away back to the pair. "How's he mean, Celtic?"

"Welsh." The Doctor replied glancing at Rita smirking before looking back at Donna. "You sound Welsh."

"You sound like me" Rita laughed. "I wonder if that would happen in other languages?" She thought aloud as the Doctor took her hand while they walked down the street.

"Don't our clothes look a bit odd?" Donna asked frowning slightly.

"Nah." He waved her off. "Ancient Rome, anything goes. It's like Soho, but bigger."

"You've been here before then?" She raised her brows at them.

"Mmm. Ages ago." He nodded.

"Before you ask, that fire had nothing to do with us." Rita cut in. "Okay maybe it did, he started it though," she jerked her thumb over to the Doctor beside her.

"But we never got the chance to look around properly." He said while Rita nodded agreeing with what he was saying. "Coliseum, Pantheon, Circus Maximus. You'd expect them to be looming by now." He muttered running out of the street with Rita heading into another. "Where is everything? Try this way." They continued to run Donna on their heels/

"Not an expert," Donna looked up the Time Lords following her gaze seeing a large mountain, "but there's seven hills of Rome, aren't there? How come they've only got one?"

"No..." Rita quietly whispered in a gasp as the ground began to shook, the Doctor held Rita by the waist looking into her eyes seeing the slight worry deep in them. The ground shortly finished shaking as Donna kept herself upright gasping at the sight. "Wait a minute. One mountain, with smoke." She said seeing the smoke seep out of the mountain. "Which makes this..."

"Pompeii." The Doctor and Rita both looked in horror.

"We're in Pompeii." The Doctor stared at the volcano. "And it's volcano day."

He looked at Rita who grabbed his hand, "We have to get to the TARDIS" the two ran off Donna behind them, people began to stare at the three strangely as they dodged the people in the street. They skidded to a stop throwing the curtain back and seeing the TARDIS nowhere in sight. "You're kidding." Donna's eyes frantically moved around the small area where the TARDIS was. "You're not telling me the TARDIS has gone."

"Okay." He nodded.

"Where is it then?"

"You told me not to tell you." He looked at her.

"Oi. Don't get clever in Latin." Rita faintly smiled glad that even Donna could keep her sass in the hardest of times.

"Right then." Rita took off running to the fruit seller Donna had spoken to before the Doctor and Donna behind her. "Excuse me?" She tapped his shoulder. "Yes, hello." She nodded gaining his attention. "There was a box..."

"Big blue box." The Doctor cut in speaking over her. "Big blue wooden box, just over there." He pointed behind the curtain. "Where's it gone?"

"Sold it, didn't I?" He smiled smugly at them.

"But it was never yours to sell," Rita explained to him.

"It was on my patch, weren't it?" He asked his smug grin growing. "I got fifteen sesterces for it. Lovely jubbly." The man rubbed his hands together happily.

"Who'd you sell it to?" The Doctor frowned.

"Old Caecilius." He informed them. "Look, if you want to argue, why don't you take it out with him? He's on Foss Street. Big villa. Can't miss it."

"Thanks." The Time Lords modded then ran off quickly skidding to a stop and running back, "what'd he buy a big blue wooden box for?"

The man shrugged not know why he actually wanted the box. Rita groaned not having the time to chat she pulled the Doctor away following the man's directions desperately trying to find a sign telling them where the man lived, "Foss Street" Rita quietly said to herself repeatedly reading the signs as the Doctor did the same. "There!" She pointed the Doctor beaming at her. They both then turned to Donna who was actually there.

"Why do they always wonder off, rule one: don't wonder off!" The Doctor groaned taking the blonde's hand as they retraced their steps quickly before bumping into the red head. Ha. We've got it. Foss Street's this way." He grabbed her arm dragging her off in the direction they came from as Donna pulled away shaking her head at them, "no. Well, I found this big sort of amphitheatre thing." She quickly explained. "We can start there. We can gather everyone together." The two then started to frown not understanding what she was babbling on about. "Maybe they've got a great big bell or something we could ring. Have they invented bells yet?"

"What do you want a bell for?" The Doctor asked.

"To warn everyone. Start the evacuation." She stated. "What time does Vesuvius erupt? When's it due?"

"It's 79AD, twenty-third of August," Rita said after licking her index finger and sticking it in the air as the Doctor opened his mouth to speak. "And that makes it volcano day tomorrow."

"Plenty of time." Donna nodded. "We could get everyone out easy."

"Yeah, except we're not going to." The Doctor said.

"But that's what you two do. You're the Doctor and the Stone." She looked between them. "You save people."

"Not this time." The Doctor shook his head explaining it a little harsher than Rita hoped he would, she couldn't really blame him though, it was volcano day tomorrow and the TARDIS was 'brought'. "Pompeii is a fixed point in history. What happens, happens. There is no stopping it."

"Says who?" Donna snapped.

"Says me." He snapped back.

"What, and you're in charge?"

"TARDIS, Time Lord, yeah."

"Donna, human, no." She copied his tone.

"Stone, angry come on!" She groaned grabbing the Doctors arm. "We do not have time for this."

"I don't need your permission." Donna backed away before Rita could grab her to drag her away to the TARDIS. "I'll tell them myself."

"You stand in the market place announcing the end of the world, they'll just think you're a mad old soothsayer." The Doctor snapped at her. "Now, come on. TARDIS. We are getting out of here."

"Well, I might just have something to say about that, Spaceman." She hissed.

"Oh, I bet you will." He shouted back taking Rita's hand and running down the street back to Foss Street.

"Not how I wanted that to go," Rita grumbled.

"She will understand." The Doctor reassured her then quietly added: "I hope." Suddenly as the Doctor, Rita and Donna entered the Villa the ground began to shook, the Doctor caught a marble sculpture of a man before it fell and patted his cheeks in the process, "Whoa! There you go."

"Thank you, kind sir." The man nodded in gratitude. "I'm afraid business is closed for the day. I'm expecting a visitor."

"But that's me," he stepped forward shaking his hand. "I'm a visitor. Hello."

"Who are you?"

"I am..." he looked around for an idea as one suddenly popped into his head. "Spartacus."

"And so am I," Donna added.

"Rita." The Time Lady stepped forward shaking his hand.

"Mister and Mrs Spartacus." He looked between them as they automatically shook their heads.

"Oh no, no, no. We're not, we're not married."

"We're not together," Donna added.

"Oh, then brother and sister?" He smiled before nodding. "Yes, of course. You look very much alike."

The two looked at each other for a moment, "really?" While Rita tried to hold in a laugh.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not open for trade." The man apologised.

"And that trade would be?"

"Marble." He said proudly. "Lopus Caecilius. Mining, polishing and design thereof. If you want marble, I'm your man."

"That's good." The Doctor and Rita nodded. "That's good because I'm the marble inspector." The Doctor flashed his psychic paper at the man.

"By the gods of commerce, an inspection." The woman slightly gasped. "I'm sorry, sir. I do apologise for my son." She poured the boys wine into the pond.

"Oi." He looked at her annoyed.

"And this is my good wife, Metella. I must confess, we're not prepared for a..."

"Nothing to worry about," Rita reassured. "I'm, positive that you're not trying to hide anything, however Spartacus... and Spartacus look at that." She saw the TARDIS in the corner.

"That object looks rather like wood to me." The Doctor stated.

"I told you to get rid of it." Metella hissed to her husband.

"I only bought it today."

"Ah, well. Caveat emptor." The Doctor hummed walking over to the TARDIS with Rita.

"Oh, you're Celtic. There's lovely." Caecilius smiled at them.

"I'm sure it's fine..." the Doctor said patting the TARDIS and trailing off, "but we might have to take it off your hands for a proper inspection."

"Although while we're here, wouldn't you both recommend a holiday, Spartacus, Rita?

"Don't know what you mean, Spartacus." He narrowed his eyes at Donna.

"Oh, this lovely family." Donna sadly said. "Mother and father and son. Don't you think they should get out of town?"

"Why should we do that?" Caecilius asked

"Well, the volcano, for starters."

"What?" He frowned.

"Volcano." She repeated again.

"What-ano?"

"That great big volcano right on your doorstep."

"One moment please." Rita smiled. "Haven't even greeted the household gods." She quietly sighed dragging Donna away with the Doctor following. "Donna they have never heard of a Volcano is."

"The top hasn't blown off yet." The Doctor added trying to help Rita explain. "The Romans haven't even got a word for volcano. Not until tomorrow."

"Oh, great, they can learn a new word as they die." She snapped at them.

"Donna please..." Rita begged as the Doctor snapped back at her, "Donna, stop it."

"Listen," she hissed. "I don't know what sort of kids you two have been flying round with in outer space, but you're not telling me to shut up. That boy, how old is he, sixteen? And tomorrow he burns to death."

"And that's our fault?" The Doctor asked her.

"Right now... Yes."

"Announcing Lucius Petrus Dextrus, Chief Augur of the City Government." A man spoke loudly stopping the three's argument.

"Lucius. My pleasure, as always." Caecilius held out his hand, however, Lucious stood there not moving.

"Quintus, stand up." Metella hissed quietly at him.

"A rare and great honour, sir, for you to come to my house."

"The birds are flying north, and the wind is in the west," Lucius said.

"Quite. Absolutely." He nodded. "That's good, is it?"

"Only the grain of wheat knows where it will grow."

"There now, Metella. Have you ever heard such wisdom?" Caecilius asked his wife.

"Never. It's an honour."

"Pardon me, sir. I have guests." He gestured to the three. "This is Rita, Spartacus and, er, Spartacus." He frowned at them.

"A name is but a cloud upon a summer wind."

"But the wind is felt most keenly in the dark." The Doctor replied.

"Ah. But what is the dark, other than an omen of the sun?"

"I concede that every sun must set." Rita then spoke up.

"And yet the son of the father must also rise." The Doctor added.

"Damn. Very clever, sir." He nodded completely ignoring Rita. "Evidently, a man of learning."

"Oh, yes. But don't mind me. Don't want to disturb the status quo."

"He's Celtic." Caecilius informed Lucius quietly.

"We'll be off in a minute." The Doctor went to grab Donna's arm as she stepped back.

"I'm not going."

"You've got to." The Doctor told her.

"Well, I'm not."

"Donna-"

"The moment of revelation." She looked round interested. "And here it is."

Caecilius removed a white cloth showing what looked like a circuit board in stone. "Exactly as you specified. It pleases you, sir?"

"As the rain pleases the soil."

"Oh," the Doctor and Rita frowned, "now that's different."

"Who designed that, then?" The Doctor asked.

"My Lord Lucius was very specific."

"But where did you get the pattern?" Rita wondered.

"On the rain and mist and wind."

"But that looks like a circuit." Donna frowned.

"Made of stone."

"Do you mean you just dreamt that thing up?" Donna stared at him like he was mad.

"That is my job, as City Augur." He informed her with a slightly annoyed look.

"What's that, then, like the mayor?"

"Oh, ha." The Doctor and Rita pulled Donna to the side.

"Apologies about our friend..." Rita smiled at them apologetically.

"She's from Barcelona." The Doctor added as they turned around to not face Lucius or the family. "No, but this is an age of superstition."

"Of official superstition," Rita added as the Doctor gave her a look to tell her it wasn't the time.

"The Augur is paid by the city to tell the future. The wind will blow from the west? That's the equivalent of ten o'clock news." He explained.

"They're laughing at us." A young woman walked in looking very pale and quiet sick. "Those three, they use words like tricksters. They're mocking us."

"No, no," the Doctor shook his head as Rita tried to explain.

"We're not... We mean no offence."

"I'm sorry." Metella apologised holding the girl's shoulders. "My daughter's been consuming the vapours."

"Oh for gods, Mother." Quintus groaned looking at her angrily. "What have you been doing to her?"

Caecilius looked at his son in annoyance and hissed at him. "Not now, Quintus."

"Yeah, but she's sick." He protested. "Just look at her."

"I gather I have a rival in this household." Lucius glanced at the pale girl. "Another with the gift."

"Oh, she's been promised to the Sibylline Sisterhood." Metella beamed. "They say she has remarkable visions."

 _"Visions?"_ Rita tellipathically questioned the Doctor wondering what he thought of it.

 _"Hmm..."_ The Doctor hummed in reply not quite sure what to say. _"I have no idea."_

"The prophecies of women are limited and dull." Donna's eyes snapped at Lucius, Rita groaned quietly knowing what would happen. "Only the menfolk have the capacity for true perception."

"I'll tell you where the wind's blowing right now, mate." Donna hissed exactly as Rita guessed she would.

The ground then shook slightly before it cut out, Lucius looked around in the air then at the girl. "The Mountain God marks your words. I'd be careful if I were you."

"Consuming the vapours, you say?" The Doctor cut in interested.

"They give me strength." She said in a daydream like state.

"It doesn't look like it to me."

"Is that your opinion as a doctor?"

Rita's eyes snapped to the girls widening in the process. "What did you just say..."

"Doctor." She repeated. "That's his name just as yours is as cold as Stone."

"How did you know that?" The Doctor interrupted as Rita looked at the girl almost turning as white as a sheet.

"And you." She turned to Donna. "You call yourself Noble."

"Now then, Evelina." Her mother interrupted. "Don't be rude."

"No, no, no, no. Let her talk." The Doctor held up a hand allowing her to continue.

"You three come from so far away."

"The female soothsayer is inclined to invent all sorts of vagaries."

"Oh, not this time, Lucius." The Doctor shook his head.

"Sorry Lucius but it looks like the soothsayer has been out-soothed."

"Is that so, man and woman from Gallifrey?"

"What?" The Time Lords stared at Lucius.

"The strangest of images." He looked at them. "Your home is lost in fire, is it not?"

"Doctor, Stone, what are they doing?"

"And you," he snapped his head to Donna, "daughter of London."

"How does he know that?" She looked at them both slightly terrified.

"This is the gift of Pompeii." Lucius explained. "Every single oracle tells the truth."

"That's impossible." Donna breathed.

"Doctor, Stone, she is returning."

"Who?" Rita asked as the Doctor spoke over her. "Who is? Who's she?"

"And you, daughter of London." Lucius ignored their questions, "there is something on your back."

"What's that mean?" Donna worryingly asked.

"Even the word Doctor and Stone is false. Your real names are hidden." "His burns in the stars, in the Cascade of Medusa herself as you hide yours in fear. You are a Lord and Lady...Sir and ma'am... A Lord and Lady of Time." The girl then fainted while her mother ran up to her, "Evelina!"

The Doctor and Rita glanced at each other slightly worried, not even the Doctor knew of the blondes reasoning of hiding her true name so desperately. Metella and Donna helped carry Evelina to her room as the Doctor and Rita moved to the hypocaust grill. They removed the grill and looked down into the heat with the smoke rising. "Different sort of hypocaust?" The Doctor frowned.

"Oh, yes. We're very advanced in Pompeii." He said proudly. "In Rome, they're still using the old wood-burning furnaces, but we've got hot springs, leading from Vesuvius itself."

"Who had the idea of doing that?" Rita asked looking down.

"The soothsayers, after the great earthquake, seventeen years ago." He told them. "An awful lot of damage. But we rebuilt."

"Didn't you think of moving away?" The Doctor asked.

"Don't forget San Francisco." Rita reminded him.

"That's a new restaurant in Naples, isn't it?"

"What's that noise?" The Doctor changed the subject.

Caecilius shrugged. "Don't know. Happens all the time. They say the gods of the Underworld are stirring."

"But after the earthquake, let me guess. Is that when the soothsayers started making sense?"

"Oh, yes, very much so. I mean, they'd always been, shall we say, imprecise?" He shrugged. "But then the soothsayers, the augurs, the haruspex, all of them, they saw the truth again and again. It's quite amazing. They can predict crops and rainfall with absolute precision."

"Have they mentioned anything about tomorrows Weather?" Rita cautiously asked.

"No." He said. "Why, should they? Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just... no reason." She shared a glance with the Doctor both raising their brows in wonder.

"But the soothsayers," the Doctor changed the subject, "they all consume the vapours, yeah?"

"That's how they see." He replied.

The Doctor held out his hand collecting the dust in his hand. "Ipso facto." The Time Lords mumbled as the Doctor rubbed the small grains together in his fingers.

"Look you."

"They're all consuming this." He explained.

"Dust." Caecilius stated. The Doctor shook his head and corrected his. "Tiny particles of rock."

"They're breathing in Vesuvius." Rita said looking at the Doctor then following him over to Quintus who was sitting on a sofa drinking, "Quintus, me old son. This Lucius Petrus Dextrus. Where does he live?"

"It's nothing to do with me." He shrugged not paying any attention to him.

"Let me try." Rita rolled her eyes at the Doctor. "This Lucius Petrus Dextrus." She reached behind and produced a coin from behind his ear, after he looked up in amazement she continued, "where does he live?"

After convincing Quintus the Doctor and Rita followed the boy after dark, leading them both through Pompeii holding a burning torch to light the way. He lead them a little further before stopping a a window. "Don't tell my Dad." Quintus pleaded them both.

"Only if you don't tell mine." The Doctor joked running up and jumping into the window before holding his hand out for the blonde. Rolling her eyes she ran to the window and jumped in with ease not needing his assistance at all, "I'm not fragile Doctor." She shook her head then turned to the window leaning out. "Can we have the torch please?" Quintus nodded handing it to her.

They began to then look around the small room seeing multiple marble statues from the chest up of Lucius. The Doctor gestured for Rita to move over to a curtain, she held the torch near it as the Doctor moved it down to then reveal a wall of different designed marble tiles much like the one Caecilius had made. "The liar." Quintus spat noticing the tiles as he jumped through the window and into the room. "He told my father it was the only one."

"Well, plenty of marble merchants in this town." The Doctor said. "Tell them all the same thing, get all the components from different places, so no one can see what you're building."

"Which is what?" Quintus frowned.

"The future, Doctor Stone." They turned around to see Lucius stood in the doorway behind him with a couple of guards. "We are building the future, as dictated by the gods."

"And you have no idea what it does?" Rita frowned at him.

"The gods only dictated, they did not say what it is for."

"Well that's rubbish" Rita shrugged. "Ask multiple marble merchants to create these tiles and you have no idea what they're for." The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Perhaps we could assist you." He raised a brow at Lucius who nodded slightly. The Time Lords then began to rearrange the circuit boards

"Put this one there." The Doctor muttered to Rita. "This one there. Er, keep that one upside down... And what you got?"

"Enlighten me." Lucius looked at him, Rita rolled her eyes at how much the Doctor was clearly not paying attention.

"What, the soothsayer doesn't know?" The Doctor asked not seeing Rita's eye roll in his direction. "The seed may float on the breeze in any direction." Lucius said.

"Yeah, I knew you were going to say that." He muttered. "But it's an energy converter."

"An energy converter of what?"

"I don't know." He shrugged before beaming, "isn't that brilliant? I love not knowing. Keeps me on my toes. It must be awful being a prophet, waking up every morning, is it raining? Yes, it is, I said so." He rambled on. "Takes all the fun out of life. But who designed this, Lucius, hmm? Who gave you these instructions?"

"I think you've babbled enough."

"Yeah, he has a habit of that, something I think I have picked up on, not too happy about that." She glared at the Doctor.

"I quite like it," he shrugged. "Anyways, Lucius, really, tell us." He raised his eyebrows at the man. "Honestly, We're on your side. we can help."

"You insult the gods," Lucius stated angrily. "There can be only one sentence. At arms." He ordered, the guards then pointed their swords at the three.

"Oh, morituri te salutant." The Doctor and Rita both muttered then glanced at each other slightly smirking before turning back to Lucius when he hissed at them, "Celtic prayers won't help you now."

"But it was them, sir." Quintus shakily said hiding slightly behind a curtain. "They made me do it. Mister Dextrus, please don't." He begged.

"Come on now, Quintus, dignity in death." The Doctor glanced at the boy. "I respect your victory, Lucius." The Doctor stepped forward. "Shake on it?" He asked holding out his hand, Lucius glared at him in annoyance not replying. "Come on. Dying man's wish?" Lucius narrowed his eyes before the Doctor grabbed his arm beneath the cloak and pulled, a cracking sound then echoed the room as Lucius groaned in pain before the Doctor stepped back holding the arm of stone.

"But he's" Quintus stared at the arm in the Doctors hand.

"Show me." The Doctor demanded, Lucius then threw back the cloak revealing his arm had turned completely to stone.

"The work of the gods." He stated almost proudly.

Quintus gasped at the sight. "He's stone."

"Armless enough, though." The Doctor threw the arm back to Lucius and grabbed Rita's hand. "Whoops." He muttered running to the window and shouting for the boy who threw his touch at the guards as the Doctor quickly soniced the circuit boards causing them to fall to the floor as the three escaped.

"Run!" The Doctor shouted keeping hold of Rita's, running down the street, they continued to run in the dark Quintus just behind them, turning a corner the three then stopped looking around.

"No sign of them." The Doctor announced. "Nice little bit of allons-y. I think we're all right."

"Sweetheart whenever you say something is alright something bad happens." Rita groaned.

"We'll be fine." He shook his head at her.

"But his arm," Quintus interrupted the two, "Doctor, Stone. Is that what's happening to Evelina?" The Time Lords opened their mouths to speak before clutching onto each other to keep their balance as the ground shook slightly.

"What was that?" The Doctor said regaining his balance while holding the blonde's waist.

"The mountain?" Quintus guessed.

There was another rumble as a cage holding a few chickens fell over in the distance, another rumble then occurred and marble slightly closer to them fell on the floor crashing.

"No," the Time Lords shook their heads watching the items fall, "it's closer."

They both watched as more things began to fall getting closer and closer as Rita breathed, "Footsteps."

"It can't be." Quintus stared.

"Footsteps underground." The Doctor said understanding what she meant.

"What is it?" Quintus worryingly asked. "What is it?"

"Sweetheart you know you said about a nice bit of Allons-y?" Rita asked slightly backing up. "How about we do that again?" She took his hand then turned to run pushing Quintus who was behind them to move. They ran through the streets the Doctor ducking, pulling the Time Lady with him as the grills around them blew open allowing the hot steam to fly out. They arrived at the Villa and ran in the Doctor running over to the hypocaust grill.

"Caecilius?" The Doctor ran back to the man Rita running over to Donna. "All of you, get out."

"Doctor, Stone what is it?" Donna worryingly asked as the rumbling got louder.

"Sadly I'm always right when the Doctor jinxes things," she slightly glared at him, "we've been followed." They snap their heads in the direction of the hypocaust grill which flew off.

"Just get out!" The Doctor tried to push Caecilius away who refused to move standing and staring at the grill, Rita tried to pull Donna away but she was fixed in place. The floor of the hypocaust then cracked before the stone and fire creature appeared out of the grill before the group who were all wide eyed.

"The gods are with us." Evelina breathed.

"Water." The Doctor shouted looking at Rita who nodded trying to pull Donna away. "We need water. Quintus. All of you, get water. Donna!" He shouted snapping the woman out of her trance as Rita finally managed pulled her away, the two ran collecting two buckets to fill them with water, they ran back but were stopped, two women from the Sisterhood clamped their hands over both of their mouths, Rita groaned knowing trying to struggle was no use while Donna tried to shout for the Doctor, struggling to fight the woman off and her screams turning into quiet muffles only Rita and the Sisterhood could hear as they were taken away.

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest:I have no idea how I missed this or if I just forgot to reply to it. I get emails when I get reviews so I definitely read it but may have just never had time to reply but I'm glad that you enjoyed everything up to Blink and I hope you enjoyed everything after it. Once River comes into play things get a whole lot different and the fic grows off the show (not completely but there are some changes here and there) I've enjoyed writing and rereading it all so I hope you enjoy it as well!**


	10. The Fires of Pompeii - Two

"You have got to be kidding me." Donna hissed tied to an altar beside the Time Lady who was glaring at the Sisterhood holding hands in a ring around them with what Rita guessed as the leader standing above them with a knife.

"Sadly I don't think they are Donna." She said then looked at the priestess with the knife her skin pale with white powder and large eye shaped rings around her eyes, "I would be careful with that, it looks sharp." She nodded at the knife hovering above her.

"The false prophet and the one that mocks us will surrender both their blood and their breath."

"I'll surrender you in a minute." Donna hissed at them. "Don't you dare."

"You will be silent."

"Listen, sister, you might have eyes on the back of your hands, but you'll have eyes in the back of your head by the time I've finished with you." She snapped trying to break free of the ropes. "Let me... go!" She shouted.

"I would be careful what you say to a tied up angry redhead, I would know."

"Your prattling voices will cease forever." The woman lifted the knife high about her head ready to hit Donna with the knife.

"That will be the day." They all turned their heads to see the Doctor leaning against a pillar. "Sorry, I'm late dear." He waved over to Rita flashing her a grin. "Got a little busy."

"You took your time." She rolled her eyes before flashing him a grin herself. "What took you so long? Had a bit of sight seeing to do?"

"Nah, I can't go sight seeing without you" he smirked, "I planned a nice dinner and everything." He jokingly pouted slightly. "Can't do that now though."

"I was going to cook..." Rita shrugged.

"Oi!" Donna shouted cutting them both off. "You can flirt as much as you want when you get us out of here!"

"Sorry, Donna," Rita muttered blushing slightly as the Doctor looked down at his shoes.

"No man is allowed to enter the Temple of Sibyl." The priestess interrupted.

The Doctor looked up again and walked up the stairs. "Well, that's all right. Just us girls." He shrugged them off walking towards the altar. "Do you know, we met the Sibyl once." He nodded at Rita. "Yeah, hell of a woman. Blimey, she could dance the Tarantella. Nice teeth. Truth be told, I think she had a bit of a thing for me. I said it would never last, with my Stone and all." He glanced over at Rita who couldn't help but smile shaking her head. "She said, I know. Well, she would. You two all right there?"

"Oh, never better." Donna joked.

"I've had worse." Rita shrugged.

"I like the toga" he eyed the purple dress Donna was wearing. "Stone where's _your_ toga." He asked glancing over at her.

"If you get me out of this I might just wear one," she smirked at the look he was giving her. "I do have a new accessory of ropes, however." She wiggled her wrists a little. "Do you like them?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "I'll take up that offer of the toga however." He smirked while pointing his sonic screwdriver at the ropes freeing her hands

"What magic is this?" The priestess asked them.

"Let me tell you about the Sibyl," the Doctor switched the subject, "the founder of this religion." Rita freed her hands and then started to untie Donna's as he spoke. "She would be ashamed of you. All her wisdom and insight turned sour."

"Is that how you spread the word?" Rita asked standing beside the Doctor after freeing Donna other hand. "On the blade of a knife?"

"Yes, a knife that now welcomes you." She hissed raising the Knife up, the Doctor pulled Rita behind him as the priestess went to strike.

"Show me this man and woman." They were interrupted by a voice behind a large veil.

"High Priestess, the strangers would defile us." The priestess countered.

"Let me see. These two are different. They carry starlight in their wake." Rita squinted her eyes a little slightly making out the figure of a woman sitting on what looked like a bed behind the veil.

"Oh, very perceptive. Where do these words of wisdom come from?" The Doctor asked.

"The gods whisper to me." She said.

"Looks like they've done far more than that." Rita scoffed slightly clearly seeing that the woman's skin looked slightly grey through the thin red fabric.

"Might we beg of an audience?" The Doctor looked around. "Look upon the High Priestess?" He said looking at the Sisterhood as two of them drew the veil aside, to Rita's guess the High Priestess was indeed a living stone.

"Oh, my God. What's happened to you?" Donna gasped.

"The heavens have blessed me."

"Doesn't look like that," Rita muttered under her breath. The Doctor let go of Rita's hand and stepped forward towards the High Priestess.

"If I might?" He gestured to her hand, she approved and held out her hand, the Doctor lightly touched the back of her hand and looked up at her cracked stone face. "Does it hurt?"

"It is necessary."

"And who exactly told you that?" Rita crossed her arms stepping forward to stand beside the crouched Doctor.

"The voices."

"Is that what's going to happen to Evelina?" Donna asked in horror before turning to the other members of the Sisterhood. "Is this what's going to happen to all of you?" A member of the Sisterhood stepped forward exposing her arm which had slightly become cracked stone.

"The blessings are manifold."

"They're stone." Donna gasped.

"Sometimes I regret my name." Rita pursued her lips. "The people of Pompeii are turning to stone before the volcano erupts. But why?" She looked at the High Priestess.

"This word, this image in your minds." The High Priestess looked between the Doctor and Rita. "This volcano. What is that?"

"More to the point," the Doctor took over from Rita, "why don't you know about it? Who are you?"

"High Priestess of the Sibylline."

"No, no, no, no." Rita and the Doctor shook their heads. "He's talking to the creature inside you." She made it clearer for the High Priestess. "The thing that's seeding itself into a human body, in the dust, in the lungs, taking over the flesh and turning it into, what?"

"Your knowledge is impossible."

"No that's just the Stone being brilliant." The Doctor grinned. "you can read her mind."

"As well as you can read his, who is also very clever if I must say." She glanced at the Doctor who shrugged as if it was nothing. "You know our knowledge isn't impossible"

"I demand you tell us who you are." The Doctor added.

The high Priestess began to speak her voice shifting from her own to a deeper voice which then took over. "We are awakening."

"The voice of the gods." The priestess holding the knife before breathed before kneeling down next to the rest of the priestess who were also kneeling down in a sort of prayer.

"Words of wisdom, words of power. Words of wisdom, words of power. Words of wisdom..." they repeated over and over Donna stepped away from them out of worry standing beside the blonde.

"Name yourself." The Doctor shouted. "Planet of origin. Galactic coordinates. Species designation according to the universal ratification of the Shadow Proclamation." He shouted at them.

"We are rising." The High Priestess breathed ignoring his demands.

"Tell... us... your... name!" Rita loudly shouted.

"Pyrovile." The High Priestess stated.

"Pyrovile. Pyrovile. Pyrovile." The Sisterhood repeated.

"What's a Pyrovile?" Donna asked Rita her face full of worry.

"Well, that's a Pyrovile." Rita nodded at the High Priestess "that's what is inside her."

"She's a halfway stage." The Doctor said taking the Time Lady's hand.

"What, and that turns into...?"

"That thing in the villa." The Doctor answered. "That was an adult Pyrovile."

"And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor, Stone." The Doctor reached into his suit and brought out to Rita's amusement a yellow plastic water pistol. "I warn you, I'm armed." He pointed it at her. "Stone, Donna, get that grill open."

"What for?" Donna questioned as Rita headed over to it.

"Just." He jerked his head over at it.

"Don't question him." Rita whispered dragging Donna away. "He knows what he's doing, I trust him."

"And if you didn't?"

"I wouldn't let him do it." Rita smiled trying to pull open the grill with Donna's help.

"What are the Pyrovile doing here?" The Doctor questioned the High Priestess taken over by the Pyrovile.

"We fell from the heavens." It explained. "We fell so far and so fast, we were rendered into dust."

"Right, creatures of stone shattered on impact. When was that, seventeen years ago?" He guessed remembering what Caecilius said about Pompeii being rebuilt seventeen years ago.

"We have slept beneath for thousands of years." It corrected him.

"Okay, so seventeen years ago woke you up, and now you're using human bodies to reconstitute yourselves." He said in understanding. "But why the psychic powers?"

"We opened their minds and found such gifts."

"Okay, that's fine. So you force yourself inside a human brain, use the latent psychic talent to bond. I get that, I get that, yeah. But seeing the future? That is way beyond psychic. You can see through time. Where does the gift of prophecy come from?"

"We got it." Donna told him.

"Now get down." He told them.

"What, down there?" Donna asked.

"Yes, down there." He said as Rita tried to convince the redhead to follow as she jumped down. "Why can't this lot predict a volcano? Why is it being hidden?"

"Sisters, I see into his mind." The Priestess breathed in a dream like state. "The weapon is harmless."

"Yeah, but it's got to sting." He started to spray the water at the High Priestess who cried out as he backed up to the grill shouting at Donna who wasn't moving, "get down there!" She quickly followed his orders jumping down standing beside Rita, the Doctor jumped down after quickly hugging Rita as Donna gasped at him in shock. "You fought her off with a water pistol. I bloody love you."

"That isn't the most impossible thing he has done Donna." Rita laughed. "One time he..."

"And letting get going." He cut her off jerking away pulling Rita with him.

"I'll tell you later Donna." Rita grinned as the Doctor groaned.

"Where are we going now?" She asked following the Time Lords.

"Into the volcano." He shrugged like it was nothing.

"No way." She breathed.

"Yes, way." He smirked twirling the water pistol on his finger. "Appian way."

"Come on." Rita rolled her eyes. "Must you always act like a child sweetheart?" She shook her head.

"You like it really." He smirked at her seeing a slight blush on her cheeks that wasn't just because they were in a volcano.

"Doctor as much as I enjoy the slight flirting now isn't the time." She walked off dragging him behind her as Donna chuckled at them following behind.

"But if it's aliens setting off the volcano, doesn't that make it all right for you to stop it?" She asked them slightly angry as the Doctor and Rita walked in front.

"Still part of history." The Doctor coldly stated as Rita slightly winced knowing Donna wasn't going to back down from this, she really hated the red head being so stubborn at times.

"But I'm history to you two." She said. "You both saved me in 2008. You saved us all. Why is that different?"

"Some things are fixed, some things are in flux." The Doctor explained.

"Pompeii just happens to be fixed." Rita added.

"How do you know which is which?" Rita tightly squeezed her eyes shut as the Doctor snapped turning around to the human woman his eyes dark and cold.

"Because that's how the Stone and I see the universe. Every waking second, we can see what is, what was, what could be, what must not."

"And that's the curse of being a Time Lord." Rita swallowed slowly turning around her soft green eyes filled with pain. "And we're the only one left." The Doctor sighed turning back around, taking the blonde's hand and quickening the pace.

"How many people died?" Donna blurted out. Rita froze in place her hand tightening on the Doctors.

"Stop it." He hissed at Donna worryingly looking at Rita.

"Doctor, Stone how many people died?" She asked as Rita squeezed her eyes shut the events reminding her of when she ran from the Time War.

"Twenty thousand." Rita quietly mumbled hey eyes glassy as a tear rolled down her cheek, "Twenty thousand lives." She slowly turned around looking at Donna right in the eye seeing the woman swallow at the horrible state the Time Lady was now in, the hurt and pain in her eyes clearly showing.

"Is that what you can see, Doctor?" Donna looked at him his own eyes cold and dark as he tightened his grip on the blonde's hand not wanting her to be alone. "All twenty thousand? And you think that's all right, do you?" Rita opened her mouth to protest before a loud road echoed the Doctor looked around, "they know we're here." He pushed Donna in front before glancing at Rita worryingly as she wiped her eyes with the hand not in his nodding at him to say she was okay then walking off with him following the red head.

They arrived a large space at the centre of the volcano. "It's the heart of Vesuvius." The Doctor quietly said crouching behind some rocks seeing large Pyrovile adults walking around. "We're right inside the mountain."

"There's tons of them." Donna gasped.

"What's that thing?" The Doctor frowned taking of a monocular and using it to look at the stones

"Oh, you two better hurry up and think of something. Rocky fall's on its way." She hissed.

"That's how they arrived." He frowned handing it to Rita who looked in the direction he looked in. "Or what's left of it. Escape pod? Prison ship? Gene bank?"

"But why do they need a volcano?" Donna asked while Rita handed the monocular back to the Doctor who then placed it in his suit pocket. "Maybe it erupts, and they launch themselves back into space or something?"

"Oh, it's worse than that." The Doctor muttered.

"How could it be worse? Doctor, Stone, it's getting closer." She warned them, the three moved closer as they heard Lucius shouting from the other side of the cavern standing high in rocks. "Heathens defile us. They would desecrate your temple, my lord gods."

"Come on." The Doctor took the lead Rita behind.

"We can't go in." Donna protested.

"Donna we can't exactly go back, trust us please." Rita begged. The red head swallowed before nodding, Rita smiled softly taking her hand in comfort seeing slight fear in the human womans eyes.

"Crush them." Lucius hissed slotting the three. "Burn them."

Rita glanced over her shoulder seeing a Pyrovile behind her the Doctor noticed and pointed the water pistol at it then sprayed it extinguishing it then running up to the escape pod, Rita behind with Donna.

"There is nowhere to run, Doctor, Stone and daughter of London." Lucius hissed angrily at them.

"Now then, Lucius." The Doctor loudly looked up at him. "My lords Pyrovillian, don't get yourselves in a lather. In a lava?"

"Doctor please no dad jokes." Rita groaned. He sheepishly looked at her then continued to talk to Lucius. "But if I might beg the wisdom of the gods before we perish. Once this new race of creatures is complete, then what?"

"My masters will follow the example of Rome itself." He told them the plan. "An almighty empire, bestriding the whole of civilisation."

"But if you've crashed, and you've got all this technology, why don't you just go home?" Donna shouted cutting in.

"The Heaven of Pyrovillia is gone."

"Gone?" Rita frowned. "What do you mean it's gone? How could it just go? And where?"

"It was taken." He replied. "Pyrovillia is lost. But there is heat enough in this world for a new species to rise."

"Fun fact about the Earth Lucius, out there are great bug oceans, this planet is 70% water."

"Water can boil. And everything will burn, Doctor, Stone."

"Then the whole planet is at stake." The Doctor nodded. "Thank you. That's all we needed to know." He turned around. "Donna." They then walking into the escape pod which held a circuit board. The Doctor closed the door with his sonic.

"Could we be any more trapped?" Donna mumbled before the escape pod started to dramatically heat up. "Little bit hot."

"See?" The Doctor and Rita started to look at the circuit board. "The energy converter takes the lava, uses the power to create a fusion matrix, which welds Pyrovile to human. Now it's complete, they can convert millions."

"But can't you change it with these controls?"

"Of course we can," Rita shrugged, "That's why the soothsayers can't see the volcano." She said in realisation. "There is no volcano. Vesuvius is never going to erupt. The Pyrovile are stealing all its power. They're going to use it to take over the world."

"But you can change it back?"

Rita opened her mouth to speak but the Doctor cut her off, "I can invert the system, set off the volcano, and blow them up, yes. But, that's the choice, Donna." He looked at her seriously. "It's Pompeii or the world."

"Oh, my God." She gasped.

"If Pompeii is destroyed then it's not just history, it's me." The fear in his eyes clearly visable, fear the Time Lady had only noticed once before, when he let her go, when he told her what he was going to do on Gallifrey. "I make it happen."

"No." The Doctor's eyes snapped to her.

"But-"

"I said no." She cut in not letting him speak because she needed to tell him. "Not again, not ever," she took his hand in her own. "Doctor I left you, left you all alone, you did what you had to do alone while I ran away from it all, as long as I'm here I'm never letting you do something like that on your own ever again, I'm staying right by your side for a very long time." He swallowed at her words seeing the serious yet terrified look in her eyes knowing what happened's if they did it. "We do this together, my sweetheart, you and me." she placed the hand not in his on the Doctor's cheek her thumb stroking it lightly.

"Doctor, Stone," Donna cut in causing both of them to look at her, "the Pyrovile are made of rocks. Maybe they can't be blown up."

The Time Lords shook their heads sadly Rita removing her hand from the Doctors cheek as they both started to flick switches, the Doctor then pulled the lever up. "Vesuvius explodes with the force of twenty-four nuclear bombs. Nothing can survive it." He looked between both girls. "Certainly not us."

Donna stared at the Doctor and Rita. "Never mind us."

"Push this lever and it's over." He avoided the eyes of them both his own showing unbelievable fear. "Twenty thousand people." He said horrified placing his hands over the lever.

"Together" Rita whispered looking right into his eyes. "I'm staying right beside you."Her breath shaking as she placed her hands over his.

Donna looked at them both then placed her hands over the blondes. The Doctor looked into Rita's eyes seeing the glassy tears in her own then looked over to Donna, the three shared a glance before pushing down on the stone lever, the pod suddenly shook throwing the three around the Doctor tried to hold onto Rita but there was no luck with them each getting thrown into the walls as well as each other. Donna screamed in fear as Rita bit her own tongue so she wouldn't scream. The pod suddenly came to a stop, the Doctor looked around before tightly holding Rita in a hug then opened the pod door and climbed out keeping a hold on the blonde's hand. "It was an escape pod." He murmured as Donna climbed out of the pod, they looked back at the volcano as an avalanche of ash began to roll down towards them, the Doctor began to run with Rita who took hold of Donna's hand the Doctor holding her other. They ran to the chaotic streets of Pompeii ash falling around them with people crying and running for their lives, the Doctor keeping Rita as close as possible while they ran, Donna following behind them heart broken at the sights. Rita fought back the tears in her own eyes hearing the cries reminding her of when her own home fell as she escaped the Doctor pulling her away saving her.

"Don't." Donna cried trying to help the people as the Time Lords tried to remember the way back to the Villa where the TARDIS was. "Don't go to the beach." She repeatedly shouted to the scared people running to hide. "Don't go to the beach, go to the hills. Listen to me!" She screamed. "Don't go to the beach, it's not safe. Listen to me."

Donna spotted a young boy crying and ran up to him. "Come here."

Presumably, his mother ran up taking him away from her, her own eyes filled with tears as she ran. Rita sadly looked on as the Doctor instructed them away lightly squeezing the Time lady's hand.

They arrived at the Villa seeing Caecilius and his family crouched down together in a corner or the room. "Gods save us, Doctor, Stone." He cried the Time Lords looked at the man before walking to the TARDIS. "No! Doctor, you can't. Stone!" They heard Donna shouting at them. blinking back tears Rita followed the Doctor inside, they couldn't save them. The Doctor slowly dragged himself over to the console starting the engines not looking at the blonde. Rita worryingly glanced at the doors waiting for Donna to appear

"You can't just leave them!" Donna cried storming into the TARDIS tears streaming down her face.

"Don't you think I've done enough?" He snapped angrily at the redhead. Rita whimpered slightly backing away from them both. "History's back in place and everyone dies."

"You've got to go back. Doctor, Stone!" She shouted. "I am telling you, take this thing back. It's not fair."

"No, it's not." He replied with no emotion.

"But your own planet. It burned." Rita's eyes snapped up to Donna the Doctors doing exactly the same.

"That's just it." He growled. "Don't you see, Donna? Can't you understand? If I could go back and save them, then I would." His voice started to shake. "But I can't. We can never go back. I can't." Rita swallowed shaking slightly while walking over to him embracing him in a hug as he hid his face in the crook of her neck shaking. "I just can't, I can't." Rita rubbed his back as Donna pleaded.

"Just _someone_. Please. Not the whole town." She cried. "Just save someone, just like you saved the Stone by telling her." She quietly said making the Doctors eyes snap open to look at her, he didn't know the Time Lady had told Donna, perhaps it came up one time. The Doctor took another shaky breath and returned his head to hide in the Stones neck. "Someone." Rita rubbed his back in comfort knowing how badly the Time War could affect him, there were still days where she would wake up and find him in the TARDIS library curled up hearing the screams in his head, she would sit there beside him and place his head in her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair trying to comfort him.

 _"Maybe she's right"_ Rita whispered to him through her mind. _"You saved me Doctor, who's to say you can't save someone else? We bend the rules all the time, who's stopping us from bending them once more?"_

 _"We can't"_ He protested shaking his head at her from where it stayed in her neck, lightly tickling her skin.

"But we know he survives, I know you know Doctor, it can't the time lines if we change how he survives." She said aloud in a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

Rita gently let go of the Doctor and looked at Donna. "About this time in Rome, there was a man called Caecilius." She started to explain. "I may have spoken to him once or twice, he told me he survived Pompeii, I asked him how and he said a man and woman who were never there. I think I know how he survived."

The Doctor swallowed slowly looking up his eyes meeting the blondes before he dashed around the TARDIS pulling levers on the console not saying a word. Rita's face broke out into a broad smile as her eyes met the Doctor once again before he ran over to the TARDIS doors sent a wink to the blonde then threw the doors open, he reached out his hand to Caecilius who looked up at him with hope while gasping at the sight. "Come with me." The Doctor told him reaching his hand out further. Hastily Caecilius reached up and grabbed his hand as the Doctor pulled him into the mysterious blue box.

High above Pompeii the Doctor, Rita, Donna, Caecilius as well as his family watched as Pompeii fell surrounded and filled with volcanic ash. "It's never forgotten, Caecilius." The Doctor said watching the city below. "Oh, time will pass, men'll move on, and stories will fade. But one day, Pompeii will be found again. In thousands of years. And everyone will remember you."

"What about you, Evelina?" Donna looked at the girl. "Can you see anything?"

She shook her head. "The visions have gone."

"You're free." Rita smiled softly. "The explosion was so powerful that it managed to crack open a rift in time for only a second, even for just a second it was enough to give you the gift of prophecy." She explained slowly for her and the rest of her family to understand. "

"And it echoed back into the Pyrovillian alternative." The Doctor took over. "But not anymore. Just like the Stone said, you're free."

"But tell me." Metella cried not looking at them. "Who are you two, Doctor, Stone?" Her voice started to crack. "With your words, and your temple containing such size within?"

"Oh, we were never here." He said. "Don't tell anyone."

"Just our secret."

"The great god Vulcan must be enraged." Caecilius stepped forward angrily. "It's so volcanic. It's like some sort of volcano." He then breathed deeply and muttered quietly, "all those people." His wife began to cry and they hugged as Quintus held his sister's hand. The Doctor reached for Rita's and pulled her away both of them nodding, Donna followed them into the TARDIS, without saying a word the two headed for the console to put them to drift in the Time Vortex them both needing some time to think.

"Thank you." Donna broke the silence softly looking between them.

"Yeah." The Time Lords both nodded as the Doctor then spoke up saying what they both were thinking. "You were right." He looked over at her smiling a little. "Sometimes we need someone."

"Welcome aboard, Donna." Rita smiled

"Yeah." She nodded back at them.


	11. Planet of the Ood

Set the controls to random." The Doctor beamed after he stopped the TARDIS from rocking. "Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide u-" He stopped when Rita hit his arm, the Doctor opened his mouth in protest then noticed the concerned look she was sending the human woman.

"Donna, are you okay?" She walked over to the redhead who looked a little sick. "I know he can be a terrible driver at times but I have never seen anyone look that sick."

"You're no better." The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her.

"At least I don't cause everyone to fall to the floor sweetheart." She called over her shoulder. Rita then turned back to the redhead looking serious yet again "Anyways are you okay?"

"Terrified." She laughed a little. "I mean, history's one thing but an alien planet?"

"We could always take you home." The Doctor spoke up.

"Yeah, don't laugh at me." Donna joked.

"I know what it's like." The Doctor beamed walking towards them both and taking Rita's hand while they both beamed at the red head. "Everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder? I get that."

"So do I." Rita grinned.

"Seriously?" Donna raised her brows looking between them. "After all this time?"

"Yeah." They both smiled broadly.

"Why do you think we keep going?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh. All right then, you and me both." She walked over to the doors then turned around. "This is barmy." She started to babble. "I was born in Chiswick. I've only ever had package holidays. Now I'm here. This is so." She tried to think of how to describe it, the Time Lords grinning at her excitement. "I mean it's... I don't know, it's all sort of... I don't even know what the word is." She shook her head turning around and stepping outside.

"Oh, I've got the word." She gasped at the cold. "Freezing."

"Snow!" The Doctor and Rita beamed hugging each other in laugher.

"Oh, real snow. Proper snow at last." The Doctor chuckled wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "That's more like it. Lovely. What do you think?"

"Bit cold." Donna held her arms trying to warm herself up.

"Look at the view." Rita breathed looking out to see massive icicles hanging from a bridge made of rock where a vast ravine was. "One of your mystery tours actually paid off." Rita laughed.

"You enjoy anywhere we go." He looked at her grinning.

"Sometimes I worry about how well you know me Doctor." She shook her head at him. "But this is honestly beautiful."

Donna then shivered. "Yep. Beautiful, cold view."

The Doctor and Rita started to wonder in the snow looking at the view. "Millions of planets, millions of galaxies, and we're on this one. Molto bene,"

"I thought Italian was my thing," Rita cut him off pouting. "You took french."

"You can't own a language plus i thought you dropped that." He laughed at her shaking his head and kissing her cheek. "As I was saying, Bellissimo says Donna, born in Chiswick. All you've got is a life of work and sleep, and telly and rent and tax and take away dinners, all birthdays and Christmases and two weeks holiday a year, and then you end up here." He continued walking along. "Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth, standing on a different planet. How about that Donna?" They turned around to just see the TARDIS and no Donna behind them.

"Oh" Rita raised a brow wondering where the redhead was. "I thought it was a tad quiet, excluding your rambling on." The Doctor rolled his eyes as Donna walked out of the TARDIS wearing a big coat with a thick hood over her head. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"Better?" The Time Lords asked trying not to burst out laughing at how much she looked like the coat engulfed her.

"Lovely, thanks." She commented walked up to them.

"Comfy?"

"Yep." She nodded.

"Donna, can you hear anything we are saying inside that coat?" Rita asked holding back a laugh. "You remind me of one of the science classes I took when I was a human learning about white blood cells and how they ingest pathogens" she laughed not able to hold it any more.

"Pardon?" Donna blinked at her, the Time Lady just laughed not sure if she was talking about not being able to hear her or not understanding what she was rambling on about.

"All right," The Doctor interrupted. "I was saying, citizen of the Earth-" He was then cut off again as a giant space rocket glided slowly above them.

"Rocket," Donna stated. "Blimey, a real proper rocket." She gasped watching it. "Now that's what I call a spaceship. You've got a box," She hit the Doctors chest. "He's got a Ferrari. Come on, let's go see where he's going." She began to walk off.

"There, there sweetheart." Rita patted the Doctors arm seeing the slightly hurt look on his face. "I bet that rocket can't travel in time and have an excellent library." She grinned kissing his cheek and watching his face brighten a little before they followed Donna.

"Out of everything you remembered from being a human that's what you remembered best?" The Doctor questioned raising a brow at the blonde as they walked towards the bridge.

"Ah I remember my human self-loved science." she hummed in thought. "Still after years, my memory of being a human isn't the clearest."

"It most likely never will be the clearest in everything, and you don't love science now?" He playfully smirked at her knowing that she definitely adored science.

"You know what I mean." She rolled her eyes hitting his arm playfully.

"Of course I do." He grinned at her before waving his arms about laughing walking across the bridge in the snow, Donna and Rita joined in laughing more at him than anything else. He looked like a small child at Christmas something Rita found extremely amusing as she ran up to him laughing. The Time Lords then stopped their smiles falling slightly hearing a quiet peaceful yet slightly sad song in the distance. "Hold on," The Doctor held out his hand stopping Donna, "can you hear that?" He asked looking at Rita who nodded. "Donna, take your hood down."

"What?" She frowned.

"That noise is like a song." He described. Rita then spotted a body in the snow and slightly gasped pulling the Doctor with her. "Over there."

"What is it?" Donna frowned following the two as they ran over kneeling beside an Ood lying in the snow looking very much in pain.

"An Ood." Rita breathed as the Doctor brought out a stethoscope. "He's called an Ood."

"But it's face..." She stood a little shocked and honestly scared.

"Donna, don't." The Doctor looked up at her seriously. "Not now. It's a he, not an it. Give us a hand."

"Sorry." She muttered stepping closer and kneeling down on the other side.

"I don't know where the heart is." He shook his head taking the stethoscope away and looking at Rita wondering if she remembered being told anything at all of the Ood.

"I don't know if he's even got a heart." She told the Doctor sadly. "Donna please talk to him, keep him going."

"It's all right," She cooed to the Ood as the Doctor and Rita looked at the Ood's body seeing for any signs of anything. "We've got you. Er, what's your name?"

The Ood weakly raised it's hand holding its translator ball and answered as it lit up. "Designated Ood Delta 50." Not knowing what to do Donna gently took the globe from the Ood and went to speak into it. "My name's Donna."

"No. No, no, no." The Doctor shook his head while Rita explained.

"I should have explained sorry Donna that's my fault."

"Sorry." Donna shook her head apologising. "Oh, God. This is the Doctor and the Stone. Just what you need, a doctor." She tried to joke. "Couldn't be better, hey?"

"You've been shot." Rita looked up at Delta 50

"The circle." He spoke full of pain.

"No, don't try to talk," Donna said.

Ignoring her requests he continued. "The circle must be broken."

"Circle?" The Time Lords frowned.

"What do you mean? Delta 50, what circle?" The Doctor asked. "Delta 50? What circle?"

Rita felt that something wasn't right. Seeing a sudden change in the way Delta 50 was looking at them she pulled the Doctor back, she was definitely right, a moment later Delta 50 shot up to a sitting position roaring with red eyes. The Doctor pulled Donna back as Delta 50 deeply exhaled then fell back to the position he was in before.

"He's gone." Donna slowly walked over to Delta 50's body.

The Doctor held out an arm to warn her. "Careful."

"There you are, sweetheart." Donna crouched down gently rubbing his forehead. "We were too late." She turned to the Time Lords. "What do we do, do we bury him?"

"The snow'll take care of that."

"Who was he?" She stood up. "What's an Ood?"

"They're servants of humans in the forty-second century," Rita answered. "They're Mildly telepathic. That was the song. It was his mind calling out."

"I couldn't hear anything," Donna mumbled. "He sang as he was dying."

"Doctor his eyes, they turned red." Rita looked up at him.

"I know."

"What's that mean?" Donna asked them frowning.

"Trouble." The Doctor replied taking Rita's hand and turning away. "Come on."

"The Ood are harmless." Rita started to explain to Donna. "However the last time the Doctor and I met the there was this sort of force like a sort of mind control in the sense, much stronger than them and extremely powerful, at least powerful enough to take over the Ood."

"What sort of force?" Donna questioned.

"Oh, long story." The Doctor shrugged continuing to walk.

"Long walk." Donna countered trudging through the snow.

"It was the Devil."

"If you're going to take the mickey, I'll just put my hood back up." Donna groaned at him placing her hood back up over her head.

"But it definitely has to be something different, you took care of the devil last time, put him in a black hole."

He hummed nodding in response then looked over a rock seeing a large sort of factory close by. "Ah ha!" He beamed. "Civilisation."

"Fancy taking a look sweetheart?" Rita grinned knowing his answer.

"Of course my love." He chuckled taking her hand as Donna rolled her eyes catching up with them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ood Sphere." The trio heard a faint female voice as they ran in the direction of a group of people. "And isn't it bracing? Here are your information packs, with vouchers, 3D tickets and a map of the complex. My name's Solana, Head of Marketing. I'm sure we've all spoken on the vidfone. Now, if you'd like to follow me..."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." The Doctor interrupted running up with Rita, Donna shortly behind them. "Late. Don't mind us. Hello." He waved at the woman in charge. "The guards let us through."

"And you would be?"

"The Doctor, the Stone and Donna Noble."

"Representing the Noble Corporation PLC Limited, Intergalactic," Donna added.

"Must have fallen off my list. My apologies. Won't happen again. Now then, Doctor Noble, Mrs Noble, Miss Stone if you'd like to come with me."

"Oh, no, no, no, no." The Doctor shook his head. "We're not married."

"We're so not married," Donna added as Rita began to laugh at them both.

"Never."

"Never ever."

"Of course, my apologies Mr Stone." Rita blinked for a moment then burst out laughing yet again having to hold on to the Doctor for support so she wouldn't fall over.

"No, no, no." The Doctor shook his head "she's just my girlfriend." He replied as Rita continued to not be able to pull herself together.

"Of course." The woman nodded looking slightly embarrassed. "And here are your information packs, vouchers inside. Now if you'd like to come with me, the Executive Suites are nice and warm..."

 _"Come on Rita calm down."_

 _"It's just too funny."_ She tried to hold her breath to stop the laughter. All humour disappeared as she heard an alarm start to blare around them.

"Oh, what's that?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know everything, and I can assure you I do not, my ego isn't as big as his." She pointed at the Doctor with her thumb. "But that sounds very much like an alarm."

"Oh, it's just a siren for the end of the work shift." The woman waved it off reassuring them. "Now then, this way, quick as you can."

 _"I may not know everything but that doesn't sound like a siren signalling the end of a work shift."_ She hummed into the Doctors mind. He nodded slightly in agreement and followed the woman inside. Upon entering there was what looked like extremely rich people walking about drinks in hand chatting and looking at three of the Ood standing on singular podiums with other Ood around the outside of the room holding refreshments. The Doctor and Rita walked over to the side with Donna following.

"As you can see, the Ood are happy to serve, and we keep them in facilities of the highest standard," Solana explained. "Here at the Double O, that's Ood Operations, we like to think of the Ood as our trusted friends."

 _"I'll believe that when I see it."_ Rita raised her brows _. "I don't know why but I don't trust this place."_

"We keep the Ood healthy, safe, and educated. We don't just breed the Ood." Solana continued to speak walking around in front of the three Ood We make them better. Because at heart, what is an Ood, but a reflection of us? If your Ood is happy, then you'll be happy, too. I'd now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations. We've introduced a variety package with the Ood translator ball. You can now have the standard setting." She turned to the Ood the furthest away. "How are you today, Ood?"

The Ood brought out its translation globe which lit up. "I'm perfectly well, thank you."

"Or perhaps after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen." She walked up to the next. "And how are you, Ood?"

"All the better for seeing you." The Ood replied in a husky feminine voice making Rita practically growl at the sight as Donna looked slightly annoyed. The Doctor slightly shifted away from the blonde not wanting to be on the receiving end of her possible anger.

"And the comedy classic option. Ood, you dropped something."

"D'oh." A Homer Simpon voice filled the room, most of the people laughed at the quiet unfunny joke as Rita still growled the Doctor lightly rubbing his thumb over her knuckles to try and calm her.

"All that for only five additional credits." The woman informed them. "The details are in your brochures. Now, there's plenty more food and drink, so don't hold back."

 _"I hate humans sometimes, not all humans, just certain ones."_

 _"I know you do."_ The Doctor took out his glasses and placed them on while walking over to the large screen and used Solana's computer the screen then changed showing a solar system.

"Ah, got it." The Doctor looked up. "The Ood Sphere, we've been to this solar system before." he nodded at Rita.

"That was years ago." She muttered. "We're close to the planet Sense Sphere, home to the Sensorites, they didn't let us leave the orbit." She rambled, "Sweetheart could you perhaps zoom out a little?" She asked a moment before the Doctor did that and three other solar systems came in to view. A few red dots appeared on each solar system joining together before a red line formed from the three into the centre. "The year 4126. That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire.

"4126?" Donna blinked. "It's 4126. I'm in 4126." She gasped out of excitement.

"It's good, isn't it?" The Doctor grinned.

"What's the Earth like now?"

"Bit full." The Doctor shrugged. "But you see, the Empire stretches out across three galaxies."

"It's weird." Donna frowned slightly. "I mean, it's brilliant, but." She paused trying to think of what to say. "Back home, the papers and the telly, they keep saying we haven't got long to live. Global warming, flooding, all the bees disappearing."

"I don't understand what is happening to the bees, keep trying to figure it out in my space time on the TARDIS, nothing comes up." Rita shrugged.

"But look at us." Donna looked at the screen in awe. "We're everywhere. Is that good or bad, though?" She then turned to the Time Lords. "I mean, are we like explorers? Or more like a virus?"

"Sometimes I wonder." The Doctor hummed.

"What are the red dots?"

"That's the Ood distribution centres." Rita crossed her arms looking at the screen.

"Across three galaxies?" Donna raised her brows. "Don't the Ood get a say in this?" She questioned before walking over to one of the Ood herself. "Er, sorry, but..." She gently touched his arm gaining the attention of the Ood. "Hello. Tell me, are you all like this?"

"I do not understand, Miss." The Ood tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Why do you say, Miss? Do I look single?"

"Apparently you didn't earlier." Rita snorted at her own joke walking over to Donna, the Doctor grumbled knowing that she wasn't going to let him forget about that.

"Back to the point." He groaned narrowing his eyes at the blonde slightly.

"Yeah. What I mean is, are there any free Ood?" Donna asked. "Are there Ood running wild somewhere, like wildebeest."

"All Ood are born to serve. Otherwise, we would die."

"But you can't have started like that." She frowned. "Before the humans, what were you like?"

"The circle." He said.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor frowned in confusion. "What circle?"

"The circle... The circle is..."

"Ladies and gentlemen." Solana interrupted gaining everyone's attention. "All Ood to hospitality stations, please."

"I've had enough of the schmoozing." The Doctor quietly muttered to both girls. "Do you two fancy going off the beaten track?" He raised a brow holding up a map.

"I was wondering when you would get bored of following orders." She grinned knowing fully well that the Doctor very much enjoyed free rein.

"Now, if I can introduce you..." Solana started to speak up.

"Rough guide to the Ood Sphere?" Donna glanced at the map ignoring what Solana was saying just like the Doctor and Rita here. "Works for me."

The Doctor slightly nodded followed then quickened his pace to walk beside the blonde since he did have the map as they snuck out.

They walked down what looked like a slightly wide alleyway with buildings on either side before coming up to a gate with wired mesh fencing. The Doctor used his sonic to open the door in the fence before continuing following the map. They arrived at some stairs and climbed them reaching the top of a building, standing leaning against some railings at the top they saw blocks of Ood marching in rows out of what looked like a factory. One of the Ood then fell down and a man walked over shouting at the Ood. "Get up." He then hissed cracking his whip. "I said get up."

"Servants? They're slaves." Donna said looking heartbroken.

"Get up!" He shouted again, the Ood jumped up out of fear stumbling behind the others. "March!"

"Last time we met the Ood, I never thought." The Doctor quietly said. "I never asked."

"That's not like you."

"He was busy," Rita added thinking back to the adventure.

"So busy I couldn't save them." He sighed, Rita took his hand looking up at him. "I had to let the Ood die. I reckon I owe them one."

"We both do," Rita told him gently squeezing his hand.

"That looks like the boss." Donna glanced over at a man walking in the snow with what looked like a couple of scientists behind him and an Ood.

"Let's keep out of his way." The Doctor glanced at him then pulled Rita away, Donna following behind. "Come on."

The three headed back down the stairs checking the surroundings before walking through the maze of warehouse's the Doctor stopping every few moments to check the map before Rita started to groan at how much it was actually slowing them down even though he didn't realise he was doing it, rolling her eyes she took the map off him and started to follow it. The Doctor grumbled at her but said nothing more when she shot him a look to not dare take the map off her. The two walked on with Donna slightly behind following them until they heard a loud whistle the Doctor ducking bringing Rita with him.

Rita glanced back seeing Donna standing beside a door sending the Time Lords an amused look on her face. Sighing Rita stood up shotting the Doctor a look shaking her head before turning back to Donna and flashing her sonic at the door unlocking it.

"Where'd you learn to whistle?" The Doctor asked lightly rubbing his ears, walking over to them.

"West Ham, every Saturday."

"Definitely got good at it." Rita winced slightly her ears ringing a little. "Oh, my sensitive ears can't take high pitches like that."

"You never mentioned this before?" The Doctor raised a brow following her into the warehouse.

"I grinned and bared it." She remarked eyeing the multiple shipping containers stacked on top of one another in the large room. "I guess this is Ood exports."

The Doctor noticed a large claw machine in the air moving about and pointed at it. "You see? Lifts up the containers, takes them to the rocket sheds, ready to be flown out all over the three galaxies."

"What, you mean, these containers are full of...?" Donna stared at him not wanting to believe what he was saying.

"What do you think?" the Doctor walked over to the nearest container and opened it to prove to the human woman.

"Oh, it stinks." Donna held her nose trying not to gag at the smell of well, Ood. "How many of them do you think there are in each one?"

"Hundred?" He looked at Rita who raised her brows at him. "More?"

"A great big empire built on slavery." Donna almost spat in disgust.

"It's not so different from your time."

"Not the time Doctor." Rita winced knowing that Donna wasn't going to take the comment too lightly, she swore that at times for being as clever as he was he could definitely make others disagree especially if they saw the comments he had made to the red head in the past.

"Oi!" Donna snapped her head in her direction. "I haven't got slaves." She protested.

"Who do you think made your clothes?" The Doctor raised his brows at her

"Is that why you two travel round with a human at your side?" Donna glared at them both. "It's not so you can show them the wonders of the universe, it's so you can take cheap shots?"

"Sorry." The Doctor and Rita both looked down slightly ashamed.

"Don't," She hissed at them then paused smiling a little. "Spaceman, Blondie"

"Blondie?" Rita looked at Donna slightly offended.

"I don't have a nickname for you Stone." Donna shrugged. "Best I could come up with." She then turned to the Ood crammed into the container with practically not room around them at all. "I don't understand, the door is open, why don't you just run away?"

"For what reason?" One of the Ood asked.

"You could all be free," Rita added knowing exactly what Donna was thinking. Donna nodded in agreement as the Ood started to talk again.

"I do not understand the concept."

"What is it with that Persil ball?" She looked at the Time Lords. "I mean, they're not born with it, are they? Why do they have to be all plugged in?"

"Ood, tell me." The Doctor spoke up not sure how to answer Donna's question since he didn't know himself. "Does the circle mean anything to you?"

"The circle must be broken." All of the Ood in the container simultaneously replied.

"Oh, that is creepy."

"Guess I can tick sleeping off my list for a good few days." Rita eyed the Ood.

"But what is it?" The Doctor frowned. "What is the circle?"

"The circle must be broken." They repeated.

"Why?"

"So that we can sing." They all replied before an alarm started to blare. The Doctor took hold of Rita's hand and started to pull her out of the container Donna following them. "Oh, that's us. Come on."

They started to run the corridors shaped out of the containers the Doctor and Rita taking the lead with Donna behind them, they sped up hearing guards faintly behind them not realising that it was guards shouting at Donna who couldn't keep up with the Time Lords. Rita frowned slightly while running expecting the red head to be screaming and shouting at them both. Glancing around she groaned and stopped the Doctor skidding to a halt and looking around in front. "Doctor."

"We can't just stop." He said looking at the paths in front trying to guess which one would lead them out of the warehouse.

"Doctor!" Rita shouted. "It's quiet."

The Doctor whipped his head around and groaned seeing that she was indeed correct, it was too quiet. Donna wasn't behind them. "I wish every single companion would not run off." She groaned the Doctor then took her hand again and pulled her away hearing more guards behind them.

"I thought you enjoyed it?" He asked running beside her before they skidded to a stop seeing guards around the corner. The Doctor pulled Rita in another direction while shouting for Donna.

"Not at times like this where people have guns!" She raised her voice breathing heavily while running. "I... hate... guns."

"So do I" The Doctor then jolted back Rita stopping him and raising her hand.

"Shush."

"What's wrong." He looked at her concerned

"Do you hear that?" She raised a brow her eyes drifting above a couple of containers hearing the sound of machinery coming closer. "Oh great." She muttered under her breath seeing the gigantic claw coming around the corner above them. The Doctor grabbed her hand pulling her away over to a container trying to pull it open, having no use he took hold of her hand again and they ran not daring to look back at the claw metres away from them. The claw then came down to the ground just behind them, the Doctor and Rita both yelped trying to pick up speed turning a corner hearing the claw still behind them.

They continued running the claw coming down again making both Time Lords roll on the floor before quickly regaining their footing they began to run again, the Doctor turned another corner pulling Rita with him then jumped over a couple of barrels in the way Rita tripped over them, falling on top of the Doctor. swallowing hard knowing the claw was now above them and descending she buried her face in the crook of his neck, the Doctor not thinking at all pushed Rita off of him and rolled over her now burying his face into her neck both of them squeezing their eyes shut tightly waiting for the claw to crush them. Rita blinked removing her head from the Doctors neck, she looked past his shoulder and noticed the claw. The Doctor did the same looking up before sighing of relief. Rita then started to giggle and the Doctor frowned. "How is almost dying funny?"

"When I die I expect it to be at the hands of the Cyberman or a Dalek, not that they have hands but still, not a gigantic metal claw." Her eyes then locked on to the Doctors twinkling slightly. "Although, I'm not complaining about how you risked your own life to protect me, sweetheart, even with how much I protest about being able to take care of myself." The Doctor blinked swallowing thickly as Rita could practically feel the heat radiating off of his face, his cheeks doing no better at trying to hide the blush forming on them. Shaking his head the Doctor bent down slightly to kiss her before stopping as four guards holding guns surrounded them both pointing their weapons at the two.

"Stand with your hands in the air!" One of the guards shouted.

"Best do as they say," Rita muttered the Doctor nodded standing up then holding out his hand to help her, taking his hand Rita stood up before they both raised their hands, two guards then took the Doctor the other two taking Rita marching them away.


	12. Planet of the Ood - Two

Turning a corner they heared the cries of Donna from inside a container. "If you don't do what she says, you're really in trouble." The Doctor warned. "Not from me, from her."

"Then after you have had a mouthful from her you will have even more trouble coming your way from me." Rita narrowed her eyes daring the guards to even try and challenge her.

"Unlock the container." The man in charge said his voice calm, his eyes saying otherwise cautiously watching the blonde.

 _"Never saw you that angry."_

 _"I tend to try and not show how angry I can be, apparently this body is even snappier than the last, I don't show my anger often."_

 _"You should do it more often, he looks terrified, and it is quite sexy."_ The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at her.

 _"You're such a flirt."_ Rita held in a chuckle her cheeks changing to a tint of pink.

 _"You love it really."_ He smirked at her before they both looked over at the container, Donna ran out heading over to the Time Lords which the guards had released.

"Doctor! Stone!" She ran over hugging them both.

"There we go, safe and sound." The Doctor reassured the human woman.

"Never mind about me." Donna shook her head then turned to the container nodding. "What about them?" An Ood with red eyes then stepped out killing a guard with its translation ball. The Doctor took Rita's hand and took Donna's in his other than ran as the guards started to fire, Rita, glanced over her shoulder seeing Solana following behind them, they ran out of the warehouse to a large crate hiding behind it breathing. The Doctor tightly wrapping an arm around Rita's waist keeping her beside him.

"If people back on Earth knew what was going on here..." Donna hissed at Solana.

"Oh, don't be so stupid." She scoffed "Of course they know."

"They know how you treat the Ood?" Donna gaped at her.

"They don't ask." Solana shrugged slightly. "Same thing."

"Solana, the Ood aren't born like this." The Doctor interrupted. "They can't be. A species born to serve could never evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?"

"That's nothing to do with me."

"Is that because you never asked? Never thought you know what these creatures are being treated like they don't have feelings, who does know then?" Rita hissed at the woman. Solana swallowed for a moment slightly backing away from the blonde. "Solana tell me."

"That's Doctor Ryder's territory." She quickly said.

"Where's he?" The Doctor cut in. "What part of the complex? We could help with the red eye." He gritted his teeth shoving the map in her face. "Now show us."

"There beyond the red section." She informed.

"Solana come with us," Rita said to the woman.

"You've seen the warehouse." The Doctor cut in. "You can't agree with all this. You know this place better than we do." He said as the woman stared at them. "You could help."

She blinked at them for a moment saying nothing before she shouted. "They're over here! Guards! They're over here." Groaning Rita shot the woman a glare then took off the Doctor and Donna behind.

Looking back seeing that the guards lost them Rita felt a slight prink in her mind. Closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind she faintly heard the song. The Doctor frowned seeing her before she opened her eyes changing direction. "It's this way."

 _"What is it?"_ He asked her frowning slightly.

 _"Clear your mind then you will hear it."_

The Doctor did as she said clearing his own mind as the song faintly filled his own mind the sad yet beautiful song. Swallowing thickly he took the Time Lady's hand and flashed his sonic at the door and entered. They entered the room the Doctor shut the door and flashed his sonic at the control which then gave out a small flame. "Hold on." Donna pointed at it. "Does that mean we're locked in?"

"Listen." The Doctor raised his hand. "Listen, listen, listen, listen."

They walked down the stairs. The Time Lords both then touched their foreheads groaning slightly. "Oh, my head."

"What is it?" Donna asked the Doctor before she frowned at them both seeing that Rita also looked distressed.

"Can't you hear it?" The Doctor asked. "The singing?"

"It must be telepathic." Rita winced slightly hearing the sad song in her head. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulder before he flicked a switch and lights in the room then came on, they noticed a group of Ood sitting in cages. The Ood turned away from the trio as Donna frowned slightly.

"They look different to the others."

"That's because they're natural born Ood, unprocessed before they're adapted to slavery." He explained kneeling down to their level looking at them from outside the cage. "Unspoilt. That's their song."

"I can't hear it." Donna shook her head.

"Do you want to?" The Doctor looked at her seriously

"Yeah."

"Donna, are you sure?" Rita asked. "It's the song of captivity."

"Let me hear it." She told them.

"Face me." He told her shifting around slightly. Donna did the same as he placed the tips of his fingers on her temples. "Open your mind." He told her closing his eyes. "That's it. Hear it, Donna. Hear the music."

The Doctor took his hands away as Donna looked at them both shocked before turning to the Ood, Rita lent into the Doctor's chest ever so slightly watching Donna as she looked into the cage tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. The Doctor wrapped an arm around Rita kissing her forehead knowing that she too could hear the sad song just like he could.

"Take it away." She pleaded turning to the Doctor.

"Sure?" He looked at her, Rita moved out of the way.

"I can't bear it." Donna shook her head the tears still falling. The Doctor placed his finger tips back on her temples disconnecting the telepathic field. Rita shifted over hugging the hurt woman.

"I'm sorry." She said to them both.

"It's okay." The Doctor reassured her.

"You lasted longer than most people would Donna." Rita softly smiled at her rubbing the woman's arm in comfort before moving away kneeling beside the Doctor.

"But the both of you can still hear it." She looked between them.

The Doctor sighed as Rita slowly nodded. "All the time."

"I try and block it out sometimes." Rita looked down. "Never works." The Doctor stood up helping Rita up as well and flashing his sonic at the cage opening it.

"They're breaking in." Donna looked back as the Doctor and Rita stepped inside, Donna following them.

"Let them find us." Rita spat looking in the direction of the door they were breaking it enter.

The Doctor knelt down beside the Ood. "What are you holding?" He asked as one of them shifted away from him. "Show me." He pleaded. "Friend. Stone, Doctor, Donna." He pointed at them each as well as himself. "Friend. Let me see." He softly at me. Let me see." One of the Ood slowly turned around. "That's it." The Doctor cooed while Rita and Donna slowly crouched down beside him. "That's it, go on. Go on." The Ood slowly opened its hands exposing what shocked the red head. "Is that?"

"It's a brain," Rita answered.

"A hind brain." The Doctor identified it more clearly. "The Ood are born with a secondary brain. Like the amygdala in humans, it processes memory and emotions. You get rid of that, you wouldn't be Donna anymore. You'd be like an Ood. A processed Ood."

"So the company cuts off their brains?"

"And they stitch on the translator." Rita hissed quietly in anger.

"Like a lobotomy," Donna added. "I spent all that time looking for you two, Doctor, Stone because I thought it was so wonderful out here," Donna said holding back a sob. "I want to go home." The Time Lords looked at her sadly, there was so many placed they both wanted the red head to see, so many people Rita knew she would love to meet. Sadly looking down Rita slowly nodded. They spun round at a loud crash the Doctor jumping up locking the cage.

"They're with the Ood, sir." A guard informed.

The Doctor gritted his teeth placing his head between the bars of the cage. "What you going to do, then?" He hissed. "Arrest me? Lock me up? Throw me in a cage? Well, you're too late. Ha!"

"Well, this is certainly an unexpected turn of events," Rita said crossing her arms and watching the Doctor laugh through the bars. "I always wondered of the day when the Doctor would lose it and go completely insane, never thought of it to be the day where we happen to be locked in a cage with a couple of Ood." She shrugged.

"Are the handcuffs seriously necessary?" Rita winced as the metal started to dig into her wrists.

"Why don't you just come out and say it?" Halpen the almost bold man in the extremely rich suit who owned this site asked ignoring the blonde. "FOTO activists."

"If that's what Friends Of The Ood are trying to prove, then yes." The Doctor snapped at him.

"The Ood were nothing without us, just animals roaming around on the ice."

"Well, that's because you can't hear their song." Rita spat going to lunch at him before gritting her teeth as the cuffs slightly dug into her wrists again keeping her beside the metal pole the three were attached to.

"They welcomed it." He almost smiled at them thinking the tree of them were idiots. "It's not as if they put up a fight."

"You idiot." Donna hissed at him. "They're born with their brains in their hands." She raised her voice. "Don't you see, that makes them peaceful. They've got to be, because a creature like that would have to trust anyone it meets."

"Oh, nice one." The Doctor nodded at Donna. Rita nodding in agreement with him.

"Thank you."

"The system's worked for two hundred years. All we've got is a rogue batch. But the infection is about to be sterilised." He sneered at them then raised his wrist speaking into his comm. "Mister Kess. How do we stand?"

"Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released." They heard the man reply the Doctor and Rita's eyes widened. "Give it two hundred marks and counting."

"You're going to gas them?!" The Doctor tried to move closer to the man.

"Kill the livestock. The classic foot and mouth solution from the olden days. Still, works." He grinned.

"We could help you!" Rita moved forward no longer caring about the cuffs digging into her wrists, "let us help you!"

Hakpen went to open his mouth as an alarm started to sound through out the complex. "What the hell?"

"Change of plan." He looked at the man in the lab coat.

"There are no reports of trouble off-world, sir. It's still contained to the Ood Sphere." He informed.

"Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads."

"What's happening?" The Doctor looked at Halpen angrily.

"Everything you wanted, Doctor." He grinned. "No doubt there'll be a full police investigation once this place has been sterilised, so I can't risk a bullet to the head. I'll leave you to the mercies of the Ood."

"But Mister Halpen, there's something else, isn't there?" He asked as the man turned to leave. "Something we haven't seen."

"What do you mean?" Donna frowned.

"A creature couldn't survive with a separate forebrain and hind brain, they'd be at war with themselves." Rita explained knowing what the Doctor meant. "There has to be something your not telling us isn't there?" She raised her brows at him. "Come on we're dead anyway, you said so yourself."

"And again, both so clever." Harlpen said looking between the Time Lords.

"But it's got to be connected to the red eye. What is it?" The Doctor questioned.

"It won't exist for very much longer. Enjoy your Ood." He snickered then left along with the rest.

"Yeah, I don't feel like dying today," Rita commented wriggling in the cuffs. "Let's get out of here."

"Well, do something." Donna hissed trying to get out of her own. "You're the one with all the tricks." She looked at the Doctor. "You must have met Houdini."

"Nice chap." Rita shrugged in thought. "Pretty sure he had a thing for me. Kept trying to impress me with all of his tricks, I saw right through them all." She rambled on.

"If you're best buddies get us out of here!" She hissed at the Time Lady who winced a little at the receiving end of one of Donna's out bursts as well as the cuffs shooting pain in her wrists.

"These are really good handcuffs." The Doctor groaned trying to get out of his own.

"Oh well," Donna snapped at them. "I'm glad of that!" She glared at them both. "I mean, at least we've got quality!" They're eyes shot up at the sight of three red eyed Ood at the door translators in hand holding them out. The trios eyes widened in horror as they sturggled even more while shout mg.

"Stone. Doctor, Donna, friends!" The Doctor shouted repeatedly.

"The circle must be broken!" Donna screamed in horror.

"We're friends!" Rita shouted.

"Stone. Doctor, Donna, friends." The Doctor shouted again.

Donna screamed louder this time as the Ood closed in. "The circle must be broken!"

"We're friends!"

"Stone. Doctor, Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Friends, friends, friends!" The Doctor and Rita both shouted pushing themselves up against the wall.

"The circle must be broken!"

"We're friends!" Rita shouted hiding her face in the Doctors arm waiting for the pain. Swallowing thickly she blinked and looked up still pressed up against the wall seeing the three Ood's translator balls dead as they held their heads then looked up blinking, their eyes back to normal. One of them held up their translator balls looking between the three.

"Stone..." He looked at her then between the Doctor and terrified red head. "Doctor-Donna... Friends."

"Yes!" Donna shouted happily nodding.

"Friends! Exactly!" Rita beamed furiously nodding at the Ood.

"That's us. Friends. Oh, yes!" The Doctor broadly smiled.

The Ood managed to free the trio who quickly left the building, that was after the Doctor tightly hugged Rita and wouldn't let go until she told him that she was completely fine. The three looked out onto the factory complex seeing guards shooting down the red eyed Ood. The Doctor tightly gripped onto Rita's hand knowing just how much they both hated weapons especially guns both of them for different reasons.

"I don't know where it is." The Doctor gritted his teeth spinning around multiple times in the snow trying to find Halpen. "I don't know where they've gone."

"I wish they had a bloody giant door saying 'look it's over here!' That would save us a lot of time." Rita groaned.

"Not the time Stone." The Doctor shot her a look telling her that it really wasn't.

"What are we looking for?" Donna worryingly asked the pair.

"It might be underground, like some sort of cave, or a cavern, or..." the Doctors voice trailed off as he concentrated more on finding what Halpen was planning to destroy then talking. Suddenly there was an explosion knocking the trio down in the cold snow. Shooting his head in the blonde's direction she rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "I'm completely fine sweetheart." She shook her head at him then looked over at the red head. "Donna? You okay?"

The human woman nodded as they all turn back to see what had caused the explosion, upon turning around the three could see the smoke clearing with Ood Sigma free from the red eye standing there tilting his head. Beckoning them over the three haistly got up and followed Sigman through the chaos as saftly as possible. They arrived at a door which the Doctor flashed at his sonic causing a spark, allowing the four to enter.

"The Ood Brain." The Doctor stared down from the catwalk at the large brain with wires coming out of it. A large ring out of electric surrounded the brain. "Now it all makes sense, That's the missing link. The third element, binding them together." He explained to Donna. "Forebrain, hind brain, and this, the telepathic centre."

"It's a shared mind, connecting all the Ood in song, and they trapped." Rita looked down at it sadly knowing that trapped feeling all too well."

"Cargo." They spun around seeing Halpen on the other side of the room moving down a set of stairs holding something. "I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the sheds. Smaller business. Much more manageable, without livestock."

"He's mined the area." The scientist said making it clearer for the three as Halpen slowly stepped closer to the three.

"You're going to kill it?" Donna looked at him as if he was mad.

"They found that thing centuries ago beneath the Northern Glacier."

"Those pylons." The Doctor eyed the metal beams around the giant brain.

"In a circle." Donna cut in looking down. "The circle must be broken."

"Damping the telepathic field. Stopping the Ood from connecting for two hundred years." The Doctor said looking quiet disgusted himself.

"And you, Ood Sigma, you brought them here." He glanced over at the Ood. "I expected better."

"My place is at your side, sir." Sigma stepped forward towards Halpen.

"Still subservient. Good Ood..." he struggled with the last word as if something was tickling his throat, the Doctor or Donna didn't notice this but Rita certainly did and slightly frowned at the man trying to understand what was wrong with him.

"If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?" Donna frowned in question.

"Maybe it's taken centuries to adapt." The Doctor shrugged. "The subconscious reaching out?"

"But the process was too slow." The scientist spoke up. "It had to be accelerated." He turned to Halpen disgusted. "You should never give me access to the controls, Mister Halpen. I lowered the barrier to its minimum. Friends Of The Ood, sir. It's taken me ten years to infiltrate the company, and I succeeded."

"Yes." Halpen sneered at the man. "Yes, you did." He then threw him over the catwalk railing onto the giant brain, the three tried to reach out to him but had no luck, he was gone.

"You are an idiot." Rita hissed glaring at the man. The Doctor eyed the gun now pointing at the three in Halpen's hand and held Rita's arm gently pulling her behind him.

"You murdered him." Donna glared at Halpen as he sneered at her pointing the gun in her direction. "Very observant, Ginger." He shoved the gun in front of him making it very clear what his aims were. The Doctor gently moved Donna behind him then Rita did the same, Donna was human and couldn't regenerate unlike the two Time Lords in front of her. "Now, then. Can't say I've ever shot anyone before. Can't say I'm going to like it. But er, it's not exactly a normal day, is it?" Halpen pointed the gun at them ever so slightly shaking. "Still."

"Would you like a drink, sir?" Sigma stepped forward holding out a small glass.

"I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks." He turned back to the three ready to shoot again.

Sigma pressed on standing now in front of the Doctor. "Please have a drink, sir."

"If, if you're going to stand in their way," he stuttered. "I'll shoot you too."

The Doctor went to move Sigma out of the way who didn't budge continuing on. "Please have a drink, sir."

Halpen looked at Sigma in shock and horror as he began to shake more violently. "Have, have you poisoned me?"

"Natural Ood must never kill, sir." Sigma looked at him not denying a thing nor confirming anything.

"What is that stuff?" The Doctor looked over Sigma's shoulder frowning.

"Ood graft suspended in a biological compound, sir."

"What the hell does that mean?" Halpen hissed out of fear.

"Oh, dear." The Time Lords shared a glance knowing exactly what was going to happen to Halpen. "The universe continues to shock me day, after day." Rita muttered.

"Tell me!" Halpen demanded.

"Funny thing, the subconscious." The Doctor scratched his ear. "Takes all sorts of shapes. Came out in the red eye as revenge, came out in the rabid Ood as anger, and then there was patience. All that intelligence and mercy, focused on Ood Sigma."

"You know I was just wondering Mister Halpen," Rita scatched the back of her neck, "how's the hair loss working out for you?" Rita crossed her arms raising a brow. The man shakily raised his hand to his head and without pulling a large clump of hair left his head.

"What have you done?" He stared at Sigma in horror shaking as the hair fell to the floor.

"Oh, they've been preparing you for a very long time." The Doctor explained. "And now you're standing next to the Ood Brain, Mister Halpen, can you hear it? Listen."

"What have you?" He stared at them terror taking over his face. "I'm not..." The gun slipped between his fingers falling to the floor as his face became black. Reaching for the back of his head he peeled the skin off before tentacles came out of his mouth taking place where his mouth once was.

Donna's eyes widened in shock. "They..." she swallowed, "they turned him into an Ood?"

"Yep." The Doctor and Rita nodded.

"He's an Ood."

"We noticed." The Doctor said to Donna, Halpen then sneezed and a small hind brain fell out into his hands.

Sigma then turned to the trio. "He has become Oodkind, and we will take care of him."

"It's weird," Donna looked at the Doctor and Rita, "being with you two. I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."

"It's better that way." Rita nodded along with the Doctors words. "People who know for certain tend to be like Mister Halpen." There then was a beep. Rita looked down and saw the explosives.

"That's what we came here to do." She chuckled deactivating them. "There we go."

"And now, Sigma, would you allow me and the Stone the honour?" The Doctor looked at Sigma.

"It is yours, Doctor, Stone."

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor beamed taking Rita's hand while running over to the machine flicking some switches. "Stifled for two hundred years, but not anymore." He placed his hand on the lever then looked at Rita who placed her hand over his.

"The circle is broken. The Ood can sing!" They pulled the lever and the current around the brain shut off. The song in the Doctor and Rita's mind then changed slightly, still slow but now happy.

"I can hear it!" Donna broke out into a broad smile. The Doctor and Rita laughed standing beside Donna hearing the song.

The three stood in front of the TARDIS Sigma and a couple other Ood in a circle. "The message has gone out." The Doctor explained to Sigma and the other Ood. "That song resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back."

"The Ood are coming home." Rita smiled at them all.

"We thank you, Stone, Doctor-Donna, friends of Oodkind." Sigma nodded at them. "And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you."

"Oh, I've, I've sort of got a song of my own, thanks." The Doctor nodded back at the TARDIS.

"I think your song must end soon." Rita swallowed looking at the Doctor worryingly, the Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulder looking at her slightly scared. Donna didn't see the look on both their faces but they shared the same expression.

The Doctor swallowed again looking at Sigma. "Meaning?"

"Every song must end." He simply replied.

"Yeah. Er," he scratched his neck then looked at Donna, "what about you? You still want to go home?"

"No." She shook her head smiling at them both. "Definitely not."

"Then we'll be off." He took Rita's hand slowly heading back.

"Take this song with you."

"We will." Donna nodded.

"Always." The Doctor looked at Rita who nodded in agreement.

"And know this, Stone, Doctor-Donna. You will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Stone, Doctor-Donna, and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever."

The three nodded then slipped into the TARDIS before it dematerialised.

* * *

 **Reviews**

 **mxn1fan:** Thank you for the lovely message! Donna is also one of my favourite companions (I just love the amount of sass she has.) I hope you continue to enjoy the plot especially when River Song is aboard the TARDIS ;)

Much Love 3


	13. The Sontaran Stratagem

The Doctor worryingly watched leaning on one of the Y beams as Donna broadly grinned standing beside Rita who watched over the red head as she flew the TARDIS. The Doctor groaned not sure how the Time Lords had managed to get in the situation, that was until he noticed the amused grin on Rita's face, he remembered Donna begging him an hour prior, repeatedly he protested against the idea, that was until Rita walked in on the conversation and sided with the ginger. The Doctor groaned continuing to protest against the idea until the blonde dragging him out of the console room and gave him the puppy dog eyes.

The Doctor tried his hardest to continue protesting until she had him pressed up against the wall her hands running up and down the lapels of his suit staring into his eyes with a mischievous look. Swallowing thickly the Doctor changed his tune agreeing to the idea which then led him to the situation he was now in. That was after he and the Time Lady has ahem, a moment.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Donna joyfully laughed. Rita chuckled watching her.

"No, neither can I." The groaned again then hurried over hitting the console with a hammer. "Oh, careful."

"Don't do that," Rita grumbled at him pulling the hammer out of his hand placing it on the floor under the console. "You know she hates it when you do that, no wonder she is grouchy and ignores anything half the time."

"She doesn't get grouchy." He scoffed. "Plus she's completely fine with you!" He protested his voice raising in pitch.

"That's because I don't hit her." She poked her tongue out at him causing him to groan again.

"Left hand down." He instructed. "Left hand down!" He looked at the monitor. "Getting a bit too close to the 1980s."

"What am I going to do, put a dent in them?" She sarcastically asked the Time Lord."

"Well, someone did."

"Yeah about that." Rita scratched the back of her neck. "Knew I forgot something."

"What did you do?" The Doctor looked at her.

"Sarah Jane got bored once and I may have let her fly the TARDIS when you were in the library." She admitted avoiding his face seeing the slightly amused look in his eyes. "I was watching her." She held her hands up. "Everything was completely fine until I looked away."

"Why did you do that?" He raised a brow.

"I was reading a really good book!" She protested again. "Nothing serious happened." She reassured him then opened her mouth to speak as a phone started to ring.

"Hold on." Donna frowned. "That's a phone."

The Doctor and Rita glanced at each other and then at the phone then back at each other, the Doctor took the mobile out of the socket from the console. "You've got a mobile?" Donna frowned at them. "Since when?"

"It's not mine."

Donna looked at Rita raising a brow. "Not mine either." The Doctor answered the phone, Rita leaning in to hear the conversation.

"Hello?"

"Doctor?" Rita heard the voice of Martha and automatically started grinning broadly. "It's Martha, and I'm bringing you two back to Earth."

The Doctor and Rita stepped out of the TARDIS after it materialised. Martha turned around seeing the two of them and started grinning herself.

"Hello Martha." Rita chuckled.

"Stone." The two of them then hugged laughing. "It's strange seeing you blonde with a welsh accent.

"I've got used to it." She shrugged, Martha then turned to the Doctor.

"Martha Jones." He grinned at her.

"Doctor."

"You haven't changed a bit." He chuckled at her.

"Neither have you."

"How's the family?" He asked.

"You know." She shrugged. "Not so bad. Recovering." The Doctor and Rita nodded.

"What about you?" She asked before stopping. "Right." Martha looked behind the Time Lords noticing Donna standing awkwardly behind them. "Should have known. Didn't take you both long to replace me, then."

"Now, don't start fighting." The Doctor pulled Rita away holding his hands up and standing between the two woman. "Martha, Donna. Donna, Martha. Please don't fight. Can't bear fighting."

"Doctor do you not trust any of your companies?" Rita laughed pulling him to the side as Donna smiled warmly at Martha.

The two shook hands while Rita raised her brows at the Doctor giving him the 'I told you so' look knowing that the two wouldn't fight.

"I've heard all about you." Donna nodded at Martha. "They talk about you all the time."

"I dread to think." Martha groaned a little as Rita chuckled quietly.

"No, no, no. No," Donna shook her head. "They say nice things. Good things. Nice things. Really good things."

"Oh my God." Martha looked down slightly wide eyed. "They told you everything."

"Actually I didn't." Rita raised a hand interrupting the two. "Mister can't stop talking for a single second said it all."

"Didn't take long to get over it though." Donna glanced at Martha's hand. "Who's the lucky man?"

"What man?" The Doctor frowned. "Lucky what?"

"Doctor you really need to start paying more attention." The Stone rolled her eyes. "Martha's got engaged." She grinned at the woman hugging her away as Donna hit his arm.

"You prawn." Donna hit his arm.

"Congratulations Martha." Rita laughed eyeing the ring on her finger.

"Really?" The Doctor looked at her. "Who to?"

"Tom. That Tom Milligan." She replied. Rita nodded knowing who she was talking about having met the man herself in the 'year that never was.' "He's in paediatrics." She informed. "Working out in Africa right now. And yes, I know," she sighed. "I've got a doctor who disappears off to distant places. Tell me about it."

"Now that's practically the story of my life." Rita laughed the Doctor grinning at her wrapping an arm around her waist. "Except I can't leave him alone for a second without him getting himself into trouble." She glanced at the Doctor who then smirked at her pulling her just a bit closer, he knew that her words were very much true, then again she was no better herself they both got into trouble just as badly as the other.

"Is he skinny?" Donna asked.

"No, he's sort of... strong."

"He is too skinny for words." Donna pointed at the Doctor who groaned. "You give him a hug, you get a paper cut, I don't know she puts up with it." She looked at Rita who blushed slightly at the comment before she started to laugh.

"Oh, I'd rather you were fighting." The Doctor grumbled.

"Speaking of which." Martha turned around as the voice of a woman came through from a sort of walkie talkie. "Doctor Jones, report to base, please. Over." Martha reached and held the walkie talkie starting to talk into it walking along. "This is Doctor Jones. Operation Blue Sky is go, go, go. I repeat, this is a go." The Doctor and Rita glanced at each other. They followed Martha glancing around as a convoy of jeeps appeared as a squad of men and woman ran past carrying guns.

"Unified Intelligence Taskforce!" A man shouted. "Raise that barrier, now!" The barrier then raised as the cars entered the factory.

The guards pointed their guns at the workers who crouched to the floor holding their hands to their heads.

"All workers lay down your tools and surrender." A voice said through the speaker.

"Greyhound Six to Trap One," Martha said into her walkie talkie again. "B Section, go, go, go. Search the ground floor. Grid pattern delta."

"What are you searching for?" The Doctor asked.

"Illegal aliens."

"This is a UNIT operation. All workers lay down your tools and surrender immediately."

"B section mobilised. E section, F section, on my command." Martha then ran off as Rita frowned eyeing the guards carrying guns. "They're never a good mix," Rita said the Doctor glancing at her as she narrowed her eyes watching the troops run past.

"Is that what you two did to her?" Donna asked. "Turned her into a soldier?" The Doctor and Rita ignored her question watching more of the people run past.

Martha then ran back to the three. "And you're qualified now." The Doctor nodded to Martha's badge. "You're a proper doctor."

"UNIT rushed it through," she explained, "given my experience in the field. Here we go." She walked on the three following her. "We're establishing a field base on site. They're dying to meet you both."

"Wish we could say the same." The Doctor muttered following Martha into the back of a large black truck.

They walked in to see what looked like a mobile HQ with a load of computers and a man in what looked like army uniform standing up watching the screens. "Operation Blue Sky complete, sir." Martha walked over to him. "Thanks for letting me take the lead. And, this is the Doctor and the Stone." She stepped out of the way. "Doctor, Stone, Colonel Mace."

"Sir. Ma'am." He saluted them both.

"Oh, don't salute." The Doctor groaned.

"Yeah don't do that." Rita nodded in agreement with the Doctor

"But it's an honour, sir, ma'am, I've read all the files on you both. Technically speaking, you're both still on staff. You never resigned."

"Oh, that something else I forgot to do." Rita sighed. "I'm forgetting everything today."

"What, you two used to work for them?" Donna frowned not believing it.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "long time ago. Back in the 70's.

"Or was it the 80's?" Rita frowned in thought.

"But it was all a bit more homespun back then."

"Times have changed, sir, ma'am."

"Yeah, that's enough of the sir." The Doctor remarked.

"Same with the ma'am."

"Come on, though, Doctor, Stone. You've both seen it." Martha said to them. "You've been on board the Valiant. We've got massive funding from the United Nations, all in the name of Home World Security."

"A modern UNIT for the modern world."

"What, and that means arresting ordinary factory workers, in the streets, in broad daylight?" Donna spoke up. "It's more like Guantanamo Bay out there. Donna, by the way. Donna Noble, since you didn't ask. I'll have a salute."

Mace glanced at the Time Lords who gave a small nod slightly smirking when Mace turned to Donna and saluted at her.

"Ma'am."

"Thank you." She smugly grinned.

The Doctor threw off his coat sitting down beside the blonde the both of them looking at the large screen showing a diagram of every country with red dots scattered on it. "Tell me, what's going on in that factory?"

"Yesterday, fifty-two people died in identical circumstances, right across the world, in eleven different time zones," Mace explained to them. "Five a.m. in the UK, six a.m. in France, eight a.m. in Moscow, one p.m. in China."

"You mean they died simultaneously." The Doctor said.

"Exactly." He nodded. "Fifty-two deaths at the exact same moment, worldwide."

"And how did all of those people die?" Rita raised a brow at Mace.

"They were all inside their cars."

"They were poisoned," Martha said the two turned to her listening. "I checked the biopsies. No toxins. Whatever it is, left the system immediately."

The Doctor looked at her. "What have the cars got in common?"

"Completely different makes. They're all fitted with ATMOS," the Time Lords frowned, "and that is the ATMOS factory."

"What is ATMOS?" Rita asked. "What's it do?"

"Oh, come on." Donna rolled her eyes. "Even I know that. Everyone's got ATMOS."

"When you travel in time and space most of the time you ironically don't have time to know about all of the latest things in, plus why would the Doctor need ATMOS? the TARDIS isn't a car." She raised her brow.

The Doctor grumbled a little at her saying it was his TARDIS, no matter how much he said it she never listened when he said the TARDIS was both of theirs.

"Come on," Martha said starting to leave. "I'll show you."

They walked above the factory more UNIT paratroopers rounded up ATMOS factory workers as the Doctor and Rita looked around.

"ATMOS stands for Atmospheric Omission System." Martha stated. "Fit ATMOS in your car, it reduces CO2 emissions to zero."

"Zero?" The Time Lords blinked at her not believing their ears. "No carbon?" The Doctor questioned, "none at all?"

"And you get sat-nav and twenty quid in shopping vouchers if you introduce a friend. Bargain." Donna explained.

"And this is where they make it, Doctor, Stone, shipping worldwide." He looked out onto what looked like a shop floor. "Seventeen factories across the globe, but this is the central depot, sending ATMOS to every country on Earth."

"And you think ATMOS is alien."

"It's our job to investigate that possibility. Doctor, Stone?" He continued walking through passing paratroopers who were moving workers.

"Come on, look lively." They heard a soldier. "Up the pace, go on. We haven't got all day now."

Mace then lead then through a plastic curtain where an ATMOS device sat on a glass table. "And here it is, laid bare." Mace nodded at the device. "ATMOS can be threaded through any and every make of car."

"But I know you lot, as stupid as UNIT can be at times I know you must have checked it before it went up on sale," Rita crossed her arms watching as the Doctor picked up the device examining it.

"We did." Martha nodded. "We found nothing. That's why I thought we needed experts."

"Really. who'd you get?" The Doctor asked as Rita shook her head at him. "Oh, right... Us, yes. Good."

"Sweetheart you just like to show off don't you." She shook her head at him.

 _"Only in front of you."_ He smirked winking at her.

 _"Now's not the time to be a flirt Doctor."_ The Stone lightly shook her head. The Doctor then followed Martha and Mace while the Stone watched the screen.

"Martha." The Doctor quickly caught up with the woman. "I know we're all busy at the moment but I need your help."

"My help?" She raised a brow slightly confused.

The Doctor sighed and reached into his pocket bringing out a light grey, almost silver box.

"Is that?" Martha's eyes widened guessing what was most likely inside.

"Yes." He slowly nodded. "And I don't know how to ask."

"So why would aliens be so keen on cleaning up our atmosphere?" Donna asked the Stone.

"That is a good question." The she hummed.

"Maybe they want to help." Donna shrugged. "Get rid of pollution and stuff."

"Donna do you know how many cars there are on planet Earth?" She asked. Donna opened her mouth to answer then closed as the voice of the Doctor appeared while he walking through the door.

"Eight hundred million." he walked over to the Time Lady. "Imagine that." The Doctor said. "If you could control them, you'd have eight hundred million weapons."

"But why?" Rita frowned looking at the device. "If someone wanted to clean up the Earth's atmosphere why would they use their devices to kill people?" She hummed in thought. "Unless they started to mess with the device, but all at the same time." She paced around the room a little in thought as the Doctor watched, Donna left the two alone going to check the factory.

"I know you dislike it here." The Doctor said forcing Rita to stop in thought and look at him. "I know you dislike the use of the guns."

"Of course I do, I know you dislike it as well Doctor."

"Yeah, but you made guns." He looked at her.

"Yes I did and I regret many choices I made creating those guns for the Time War is one of them, but I can't change that now." she sighed picking up the device the Doctor had placed down on the table.

"Ionising nano-membrane carbon dioxide converter." The Doctor explained to Mace and Martha who were standing near the wall watching the two Time Lords.

"And that means that ATMOS actually works." Rita shrugged. "I wasn't expecting it but it does, filters the CO2 at a molecular level."

"We know all that, but what's its origin?" Mace frowned stepping closer to the Doctor. "Is it alien?"

"No." Rita shook her head. "I said I wasn't expecting it to work because this is decades ahead of its time, shouldn't even be possible right now."

"Look, do you mind?" The Doctor glared at Mace. "Could you stand back a bit?"

"Sorry," He stepped back frowning in confusion, "have I done something wrong?"

"You're carrying a gun." The Doctor said bluntly. "I don't like people with guns hanging around me and especially not my girlfriend, all right?" He snapped.

Mace looked at Rita who gave a little nod having to agree with the Doctor, she disliked guns as much as he did, not so much the way he handled the situation but she had to agree with him. "If you insist." He then walked out.

"Tetchy," Martha muttered watching them both slightly glaring.

"Well, it's true." He looked at her glaring himself.

"He's a good man." She protested raising her voice.

"People with guns are usually the enemy in my books." The Doctor said not looking at Martha as he flashed his sonic over the ATMOS device. "You seem quite at home."

"If anyone got me used to fighting, it's you two."

"Oh right, so it's our fault?" The Doctor hissed at her.

"That's enough!" Rita stepped forward. "I will not have you both arguing." She sighed turning to Martha. "I'm sorry but I have to agree with the Doctor, guns never have a good ending." She looked at her friend with sympathy as she shot a glare at the Doctor finishing his conversation from earlier.

"Well, you both did get me the job." Rita narrowed her eyes slightly the Doctor pulling her back not noticing that she had stepped closer to Martha herself. "Besides, look at me." She said to them both, they looked up at her. "Am I carrying a gun?"

"Suppose not." The Doctor muttered.

"It's all right for you two." Her voice became softer. "You can just come and go, but some of us have got to stay behind. So I've got to work from the inside, and by staying inside, maybe I stand a chance of making them better."

"Yeah?" The Doctor smiled softly at her. "That's more like Martha Jones."

"I learned from the best."

"Well." She Doctor shrugged as Rita shook her head.

"Oi, you lot." Donna walked in holding a file. "All your storm troopers and your sonics. You're rubbish." Rita looked at her slightly offended. "Should've come with me." She said as Mace walked in hearing the conversation from outside.

"Why?" The Doctor frowned, "where have you been?"

"Personnel. That's where the weird stuff's happening, in the paperwork. Because I spent years working as a temp, I can find my way round an office blindfold," She looked at them smugly, "and the first thing I noticed is an empty file." She held it up.

"Why, what's inside it?" The Doctor asked then corrected himself. "Or what's not inside it?"

"Sick days." She showed the file name on the side then opened the file showing it to be empty. "There aren't any. Hundreds of people working here and no one's sick. Not one hangover, man flu, sneaky little shopping trip, nothing." She told them. "Not ever. They don't get ill."

"That can't be right." Mace walked over taking the file himself.

"You've been checking out the building." She grinned at them. "Should've been checking out the workforce."

"I can see why they like you." Martha smiled at Donna.

"Mmm hmm." She hummed at them.

"You are good."

"Super temp."

"Doctor Jones, set up a medical post. Start examining the workers. I'll get them sent through." Mace ordered.

"Come on, Donna." Martha looked at the red head. "Give me a hand."

"Doctor?" Rita stopped him as he went to head out with Mace. "I'm going to help Martha for a bit I'll be back though so don't try anything." She pointed at him warningly.

"Wouldn't dare go against your word." He smirked kissing her quickly before heading off.

"Right then." Rita turned to the two woman. "Direction of personnel offices? Because you may think my sonic is useless Donna, but it can be very handy at times." She raised a brow following the two out.

"So." Martha started looking through a couple of files. "You and him are still together."

"Yep." Rita smiled flashing her sonic at one of the computers.

"He hasn't asked you yet?" Martha raised a brow at the blonde.

"Asked me?" She stopped what she was doing and looked at Martha confused. "Asked me what?"

"I think Martha means that he hasn't asked you to marry him," Donna spoke up.

"What?" Rita chuckled lightly shaking her head. "Why would he?" She questioned. "Martha it's only been around two years and a half and one of those years we didn't even see each other and that year never existed."

"But don't you want him to?" She asked.

"I." She thought for a moment looking at the computer. "I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe if he asked, but he isn't going to ask." She sighed. "Things could get complicated."

"How?" She questioned interested.

Rita sighed moving away from the computer and facing the two woman. "On Gallifrey, most marriages ended after one of the Time Lords regenerated or of course died." She explained. "Many including my own parents either remarried after a new marriage was arranged for them or just didn't remarry, but there was ring, an extremely old ring quite like an engagement ring in human terms, they say that if two Time Lords wished to stay together then would need a set of amalgamate rings, but since Gallifrey is gone that won't happen."

"So you both with never marry?" Donna asked a little saddened.

"Unless the Doctor somehow has two amalgamate rings hidden in the TARDIS then most likely no. We're fine anyway." She shrugged it off. "We're happy." She turned back to the computer and groaned. "Bloody UNIT." She flashed her sonic at the screen then mumbled over her shoulder. "Sorry. UNIT locked everything, not even my sonic can get through thanks to them having alien technology, I'm going to find the Doctor, see if he hasn't got himself into trouble just get." She chuckled leaving the two woman alone.

"What made you say that?" Donna questioned.

"He mentioned something today." Martha lightly shook her head.

"You are not coming with me." The Doctor protested walking out to where there were multiple troopers standing around with guns in the ATMOS factory. "I want to talk to this Luke Rattigan, not point a gun at him."

"It's ten miles outside London." Mace protested against his wishes. "How are you going to get there?"

"You have jeeps let us borrow one." Rita raised a brow spotting them, walking up and crossing her arms standing beside the Doctor.

"Ah!" The Doctor beamed taking her hand and pulling her alone. "Did you find anything?"

"UNIT locked all the computers, my sonic couldn't get through." The Doctor scrunched his nose up slightly at the thought knowing that Rita was the slightly better than himself with computers and not even she could get through when UNIT locked them. "

"According to the records, you both travel by TARDIS." Mace continued the conversation from earlier ignoring the look the Doctor had gave about UNIT locking the computers.

"Yeah, but if there is a danger of hostile aliens, I think it's best to keep a super-duper time machine away from the front lines." The Doctor informed.

"I see." He nodded. "Then you do have weapons, but you choose to keep them hidden." Rita groaned at his comment opening her mouth to deny his comment, however, Mace spoke up looking at one of the troopers who looked slightly too young to be working for UNIT "Jenkins?"

"Sir."

"You will accompany the Doctor and the Stone and take orders from them."

"Yeah, we don't do orders." The Doctor said glancing at the blonde who nodded in agreement.

"Any sign of trouble, get Jenkins to declare a Code Red." He said then saluted to them. "And good luck, sir, ma'am."

"I said no salutes."

"He also said enough with the 'sir'." Rita raised a brow.

"Now you're both giving orders." He walked off.

"Oh, you're getting a bit cheeky, you are." the Doctor muttered watching him leave as Donna headed over to them both. "Doctor."

"Oh, just in time." The Doctor took her hand with the one, not in the blondes. "Come on, come on, we're going to the country. Fresh air and geniuses, what more could you ask?"

Donna stopped looking at them both sadly. "I'm not coming with you." She looked between them. "I've been thinking. I'm sorry. I'm going home."

The Doctors face fell as Rita soon caught on realising the red head only was going home to visit. Biting her lips and desperately holding back a laugh she watched the two of them mainly watching the priceless look on the Doctors face.

"Really?" He looked at her shocked.

"I've got to."

"Oh, if that's what you want." He forced a smile. "I mean, it's a bit soon. We had so many places we wanted to take you." He glanced at Rita not seeing the amused look on her face. "The Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade, the Lightning Skies of Cotter Palluni's World, Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko." He named a few of the places _he_ wanted to take Donna, the only place Rita wanted her to see was a Libary the size of a planet, seeing as her tenth self-loved reading even more than her ninth she thought it was a brilliant idea, a surprise she had yet to tell the Doctor as well knowing that he enjoyed a bit of reading here and there, nothing compared to the Time Lady's enjoyment of the past time. "Thank you." The Doctor nodded at her sadly. "Thank you, Donna Noble, it's been brilliant. You've, you've saved our lives in so many ways. You're..." he noticed the look on her face, his eyes shifted over to Rita who raised her brows at him. His gaze moved back to the red head as she continued to look at him with an amused smile, "you're just popping home for a visit, that's what you mean."

"You dumbo." Donna laughed as he groaned.

"And then you're coming back."

"Know what you are? A great big outer space dunce."

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Ready when you are, sir, ma'am." Jenkins informed them.

"What's more, you two can give me a lift." She jumped in the jeep Rita following her in now laughing her head off. "Come on." Donna told the Doctor then looked at him. "Broken moon of what?"

"I know, I know." He groaned. "You knew about it didn't you Stone?"

"No I didn't." She laughed in protest holding his shoulder to stop her from ending up on the floor rolling around as she laughed stopping every few seconds to breath. "I realised she was staying for a quick visit unlike you, the look on your face amused me so I let you continue."

"You're so kind." He shook his head.l sarcasm filling his voice.

"You love me really." She patted his arm then leant her head on his shoulder as Jenkins drove them to Donna's street.


	14. The Sontaran Stratagem - Two

The Jeep came to a hault in the middle of a junction as Donna jumped out. "I'll walk the rest of the way." She reassured the Time Lords. "I'll see you two back at the factory, yeah?"

"Bye!" They both waved at her as she moved away.

"And you be careful!" She shouted pointing at the Doctor before the jeep pulled away.

"Why did she only warn me?" The Doctor looked at Rita.

"Sweetheart you and trouble go together like bread and butter."

"What does that make you and trouble then?" He raised a brow at her.

"Bread and butter." She smirked and looked out of the window then frowned slightly. "I forgot to ask, where are we even going?"

"A 'child genius' invented ATMOS." He explained at Rita who raised a brow interested from the moment he said 'genius' and 'invented'. "He apparently runs a private school for selected students, thought we could take a trip there, I know you would want to see what they have been getting up to." He grinned at her.

"Are you just getting lonely that I'm the only other genius apart from you?" She raises a brow at him.

"Possibly." He smirked glancing away from the blonde as she shook her head disapprovingly at him.

They continued driving in silence until Ross started to explain to them about Rattigan, "UNIT's been watching Rattigan Academy for ages. It's all a bit Hitler Youth. Exercise at dawn and classes and special diets."

"Turn left." The ATMOS device instructed.

"Ross," the Doctor frowned slightly, "one question. If UNIT think that ATMOS is dodgy..."

"Go straight on."

"How come we've got it in the jeeps?" Ross finished. "Yeah, tell me about it. They're fitted as standard on all government vehicles. We can't get rid of them till we can prove there's something wrong."

"Turn right."

"Drives me around the bend." He commented as the car turned following the road.

"That was clever, good joke." Rita spoke up from the back.

"Timed that perfectly." Ross chuckled.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, you did."

"This is you final destination." The ATMOS device shortly informed them, Ross then stopped the jeep, the Doctor stepped out opening Rita's door for her even though she could open it perfectly find on her own, rolling her eyes he smirked at her, they walked up the gravel path and watched the students in a sort of uniform run around as they walked up to Rattigan.

"Is it PE?" The Do tor joked. "I wouldn't mind a kick around, I've got me daps on."

"Sandshoes." Rita coughed jokingly.

"I suppose you're the Doctor and the Stone?" The boy turned around.

"Hello." The Doctor grinned.

"That's us." Rita waved.

"Your commanding officer phoned ahead."

"Ah, but we haven't got a commanding officer." The Doctor stepped forward. "Have you?" He asked, the boy glared at him. _"Someone doesn't like you."_ Rita muttered to him. _"I think he's worried of getting out smarted."_

 _"I'm just wanting until you start opening your mouth."_ The Doctor grinned at her then looking at Ross. "Oh, this is Ross. Say hello, Ross."

"Good afternoon, sir." Ross nodded at the boy.

"Let's have a look, then." The Doctor took Rita's hand practically bouncing into the Academy. "I can smell genius!" He then muttered over his shoulder. "In a good way."

They entered the Academy laboratory, Rita broadly smiled looking around at the different equipment and devices. "Oh, now, that's clever." She muttered glamcimg around hands in her trouser pockets observing the young humans fiddle with equipment. "Ah ha!" She beamed moving over. "Look Doctor, single molecule fabric." The Doctor placed his glasses on watching the giddy blonde.

"How thin is that?!" He asked amazed. "You could pack a tent in a thimble. Ooo!" He moved over pulling her alone with hi,. "Gravity simulators."

"Terraforming, biospheres, nano-tech steel construction." She moved around the room. "I'm very impressed." She nodded. "Extremely impressed well done." She nodded.

"This is brilliant." The Doctor looked around extatic. "Do you know, with equipment like this you could, ooo, I don't know," he shrugged, "move to another planet or something?"

"If only that was possible." Rattigan looked at them both annoyed.

"Ah that would be were, if only that _were_ possible." She shrugged it off. "Conditional clause, easy mistake for some."

Rattigan looked as if he was boiling at them both sending a glare and narrowing his eyes. _"You did that on purpose."_ The Doctor stated.

 _"I could see he hated us from the moment we turned up, wanted to see how far I could push him, plus it's fun to almost have an ego as big as yours sometimes."_

"I think you'd better come with me." Rattigan growled turning around and storming off.

 _"See?"_ She raised her eyebrows at the Doctor proving her point and following the boy with the Doctor, Ross followed behind them.

They entered a large room with a swimming pool at the back of the room and a transmat in the corner.

"You're smarter than the usual UNIT grunts," Rattigan eyed Ross after a comment he made. "I'll give you that."

"He called you a grunt." The Doctor looked at Ross. "Don't call Ross a grunt." He told Rattigan. "He's nice. We like Ross." He nodded. "Look at this place."

"What exactly do you want?" He hissed at the Doctor.

"I was just thinking, well,." He nodded at Rita, "we were just thinking. What a responsible eighteen year old. Inventing zero carbon cars? Saving the world."

"Takes a man with vision." Rattigan told them.

"Mmm, blinkered vision." The Doctor hummed. "Because ATMOS means more people driving. More cars, more petrol. End result, the oil's going to run out faster than ever."

"The ATMOS system could make things worse." Rita added.

"Yeah." He snapped at the blonde. "Well, you see, that's a tautology. You can't say ATMOS system because it stands for Atmospheric Emissions System. So you're just saying Atmospheric Emissions System system." He glared at her. "Do you see, Miss Conditional Clause?"

The Doctor looked at the boy for a moment his face as well as Rita's becoming slightly soft. "It's been a long time since anyone said no to you, isn't it?"

"I'm still right, though." He protested.

"Not easy, is it, being clever." The Doctor stepped forward. "You look at the world and you connect things, random things, and think, why can't anyone else see it? The rest of the world is so slow."

"Yeah." He sighed.

"And you're all on your own."

"I know."

"But." Rota dragged it out walking over to the transmat. "I can't help thinking that your just a boy, not to be offensive or anything." She raised her hands up. "There is no way you invented that all on your own." She pointed at the device the Do tor brought out and tosses it to Ross. "Trust me I used to invent quiet a lot back home, I would know."

"It might be Earth technology, but that's like finding a mobile phone in the Middle Ages." The Doctor cut in then shook his head. "No, no, I'll tell you what it's like. It's like finding this in the middle of someone's front room." He stepped over to it Rita following. "Albeit it's a very big front room."

"Why, what is it?" Ross frownee not understand the two."

"Yeah, just looks like a thing, doesn't it?" The Doctor laughed a little pointing at the machine. "People don't question things. They just say, oh, it's a thing."

"Leave it alone." Rattigan hissed at them.

The Doctor amd Rota stepped into the machine.

"The Stome and I, we make these connections." He said taking her hand. "And this, to me, looks like a teleport pod." He pushed the button then vanished appearing again on a ship with figures half her size walking about.

"Orbit now holding at five five six point three, sector two seven zero." A computer stated.

"Oh." The Doctor frowned and worryingly took the blondes hand.

"Not good." Rita muttered as they all turned and looked at the Doctor and Rota.

"We have intruders!" One of the pointed to the two.

"How did they get in?" The Doctor questioned, "in tru da window? Bye, bye!" He hit the button and ran taking Rita with him.

"Ross, get out!" The Doctor shouted. "Luke, you've got to come with us." He tried pulling the boy back who then refused. Rita flashed her sonic at the teleport a moment too late as a Sontaran appeared.

"Sontaran!" The Doctor shouted. "That's your name, isn't it?" He asked "You're a Sontaran. How did I know that, hey? Fascinating isn't it? Isn't that worth keeping me alive?"

"I order you to surrender in the name of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce." Ross held a gun up at it."

"Sorry Ross but that's useless." Rita informed him moving slightly away from the gun herself. "Cordolanie signal which is copper excitation stopping the bullets makes them sort of expand so they don't look like bullets anymore."

"How do you know so much?"

"Well." The Doctor shrugged.

"Who is he?" The Sontaran questioned Rattigan

"He didn't give his name. Nor did she."

"But this isn't typical Sontaran behaviour, is it?" The Doctor questioned. "Hiding? Using teenagers, stopping bullets? A Sontaran should face bullets with dignity. Shame on you."

"You dishonour me, sir."

"Yeah? Then show yourself."

"I will look into my enemy's eyes!" He stated then removed his helmet to show what looked like a light brownish head resembling something that humans most likely thought looked like a potato.

Ross' eyes widened. "Oh, my God."

"And your name?"

"General Staal, of the Tenth Sontaran Fleet." He announced with pride. "Staal the Undefeated."

"What would happen if you get defeated? That's quiet a rubbish nickname." Rita crossed her arms. "Staal the Not Quite So Undefeated Anymore But Never Mind?" The Doctor remarked making Ross snort a laugh before becoming serious once more.

"He's like a potato." Ross eyed Staal. "A baked potato. A talking baked potato."

"Now, Ross, don't be rude." He Doctor scolded. "You look like a pink weasel to him."

"And you look like a piece of string." Rita snorted a laugh as the Doctor scolded her with a glare, she then handed him a racket. "Fancy a bit of tennis sweetheart?" Nodding he took the racket while she tossed a ball in the air a couple of times while the Doctor spoke.

"The Sontarans are the finest soldiers in the galaxy, dedicated to a life of warfare. A clone race, grown in batches of millions with only one weakness."

"Sontarans have no weakness." Staal stated.

"Everyone has a weakness." Rita scoffed.

"It's s a good weakness." The Doctor added.

"Aren't you meant to be clever?" Rattigan spat. "Only an idiot would provoke him."

"Yeah but he can be a right idiot at times."

"but the Sontarans are fed by a probic vent in the back of their neck." He explained ignoring the Time Ladys remark, lightly hitting the back of his own neck with the racket. "That's their weak spot. Which means, they always have to face their enemies in battle. Isn't that brilliant?" He beamed. "They can never turn their backs."

"We stare into the face of death." Staal protested.

"Yeah? Well, stare at this." Rita tossed the ball into the air, the Doctor smashed it in the back of the teleport, the ball bounced off the back hitting Staal on the probic vent.

Staal cried out slumping to his kneels. The Doctor grabbed Rita's hand and pushed Ross towards the exit. "Run!"

"What has you done?" Rattigan shouted as the three sprinted away. They jumped into the jeep the Doctor in the front with Ross, Rita in the back.

"Greyhound Forty to Trap One." The Doctor said into a walkie talkie as Ross sped off away from Rattigan's academy. "Repeat, can you hear me? Over."

"Why's it not working?" Ross frowned.

"It must be the Sontarans. If they can trace that, they can isolate the ATMOS." The Doctor explained.

"Turn left." The ATMOS device informed.

The Doctor spoke up. "Try going right."

"It said left."

"He knows, go right." Rita backed the Doctor up Ross attempt to turn the wheel right, locking itself the car turned by itself Ross moved his hands away looking slightly terrified. "I've got no control. It's driving itself. It won't stop." The Doctor flashed his sonic at the ATMOS device. "The doors are locked." Ross said trying to open one of them.

"Deadlocked." Rita grumped trying to open the door. "One of these days I am going to change that... hopefully."

"If we even get out of this car." Ross muttered.

"Have some hope Ross." The Doctor said over his shoulder trying to break open the door.

"Turn left."

"The sat-nav's just a box, wired through the whole car." The Doctor said still trying to open his door

The car turned a corner, the three saw a large river in front. Ross swallowed. "We're headed for the river."

"Okay nos it's my turn." Rita unbuckled her seat belt and leant between the two seats. "ATMOS I'm guessing that you are programmed to completely ignore and contradict my orders?"

"Confirmed."

"So anything I ask you will completely ignore?"

"Confirmed."

"Right then thank you now drive us right into that river." She said the Doctor looking at her understanding her plan taking her hand in his. "ATMOS I order you to drive into the river!" She shouted. "Completely ignore me and drive into the river!" She shouted again as the car came to a stop on the edge of the river.

The Doctor jumped out the car with Rita and Ross, taking her hand they ran in the opposite direction to the river while the ATMOS device started to smoke confusing itself.

"Get down!" The Doctor shouted pulling Rita down to the ground covering his hands over his head beside the blonde.

"Left, right, left, right..." the ATMOS device said, "left, left, right, left, right..." it then gave out a small spark and a bang. The Doctor frowned looking up. "Oh, was that it?" He looked slightly disappeared.

"Better that then being at the bottom of a river." Rita muttered standing up and brushing herself off.

The Doctor, Rita and Ross walked down Donna's street seeing her outside looking at her car.

"You would not believe the day we're having." He said walking up to Donna.

"With Donna knowing the days we can have she might just believe us." Rita commented following him. He knelt down and looked at the ATMOS device stuck to the bottom of the car.

"I'll requisition us a vehicle." Ross then began to walk off down the street. The Doctor stood up and pointed at him.

"Anything without ATMOS. And don't point your gun at people."

He nodded then left as the old man Rita remembered from Christmas Eve walked of out Donna's house.

"Is it them?" He asked walking over to Donna seeing the Doctor looking under the car. "Is it them? Is it the Doctor and the Stone?" He asked. The Doctor looked up frowning when the man saw him. "Ah, it's you!"

"Who?" He looked up. "Oh, it's you."

"What?" Donn looked between the three confused, "you met before?"

"Yeah, Christmas Eve. He and the Stone disappeared right in front of me, where is she anyways?"

"And you never said?" Donna looked over at her grandad while Rita scratched the back of her neck.

"Well, you never said." He shrugged. "Wilf, sir. Wilfred Mott. You must be one of them aliens."

"Yeah, but don't shout it out." The Doctor told him shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you properly, Wilf."

"Oh, an alien hand." Rita chuckled. "I guess this is where I have to explain everything." She silently groaned. "I'm the Stone, I regenerated which basically in the simplest terms possible, I got shot and changed what I look like and sound, also a little bit of my personality, still me though." She shrugged.

"Oh my god." He blinked. The Doctor shook his head then looked at the red head. "Donna, anything?"

"She's not answering." Donna replied holding a phone to her ear meaning about trying to get hold of Martha. "What is it, Sontorans?"

"Sontarans." He nodded. "But there's got to be more to it. They can't be just remote controlling cars. That's not enough. Is anyone answering?"

"Hold on." She held her hand up trying to call once again. "Martha." She beamed then spoke into the phone again both the Time Lords walking up to her.

"Hold on, he's here." She handed the phone to the Doctor.

"Martha, tell Colonel Mace it's the Sontarans." He said into the phone, Rita pressed her ear on the other side so she could hear the conversation. "They're in the file. Code Red, Sontarans. But if they're inside the factory tell them not to start shooting. UNIT will get massacred. We'll get back as soon as we can." He paused for her to understand the information. "You got that?"

"Code Red Sontaran." They heard her through the phone. "Gotcha."

Rita frowned slightly. _"Since when did Martha every say 'gotcha'?"_

 _"It has been a while since we have seen her."_ He countered. She nodded slightly while he handed the phone back to Donna then moved over to the car opening it's bonnet.

"But you tried sonicing it before." Donna stated watching the two of them mess around with the car Rita flashing her sonic at it for a moment then looking under the car as the Doctor continued messing before starting to flash his sonic at it himself. "You didn't find anything."

"Yeah, but now we know it's Sontaran, we know what we're looking for." He countered continuing on the car with the Time Ladys help.

"The thing is, Doctor, Stone," Wilf spoke up, "that Donna is my only grandchild. You got to promise me you're going to take care of her."

"She takes care of me when the Stone isn't around."

"You can't help yourself getting in to trouble." Rita shook her head at him. "She keeps the both of us out of trouble to be fair though." Rita chuckled shaking her head slightly.

"Oh yeah, that's my Donna." Wilf proudly beamed at his granddaughter. "Yeah, she was always bossing us round when she was tiny. The Little General we used to call her."

"Yeah, don't start." Donna groaned out of embarrassment.

Wilf ignored her continuing on. "And some of the boys she used to turn up with. Different one every week." He thought back. "Here, who was that one with the nail varnish?"

"Matthew Richards." She muttered to him. "He lives in Kilburn now... With a man."

The Doctor jumped back pulling Rita with him as spikes suddenly stuck out of the ATMO device.

"Whoa." The Time Lords looked at it the Doctor slipping his glasses on. "It's a temporal pocket."

"I knew there was something else in there they wouldn't just start to kill people off for no reason." Rita muttered quietly to the Doctor.

"It's hidden just a second out of sync with real time." The Doctor added.

"But what's it hiding?" Donna asked.

"I don't know," they heard the voice of Donna's mother as she walked out of the house. "Men and their cars." Rita frowned slightly at the comment. "Sometimes I think if I was a car..." she trailed off noticing the Doctor with his head under the bonnet. "Oh, it's you. Doctor what was it?"

He looked up. "Yeah, that's me, this is the Stone."

"Hello." She waved. "Don't ask about how I look different, hard to explain."

"What, have you met him as well?" Wilf asked switching the subject off of the Time Lady.

"Dad, it's the man from the wedding." Donna's mother Syliva whispered to him. "When you were laid up with Spanish flu. I'm warning you, last time that man with that woman turned up it was a disaster."

The spikes then started to give off a gas, the Doctor pulled Rita away putting an arm around her waist keeping her beside him as the gas started to emit itself from the car. "Get back!" He shouted to the others.

The Doctor started to sonic at the ATMOS device as it sparked. "That'll stop it."

"I told you." Sylvia hissed. "He's blown up the car! Who is he, anyway?" She looked at Donna. "What sort of doctor blows up cars?"

"Oh, not now, Mum." Donna snapped at her.

"Oh, should I make an appointment?" She sarcastically hissed going back into the house.

"That wasn't just exhaust fumes," the Doctor smelt the air, Rita did the same and nodded with him while causiously stepping towards the car again taking a look. "Some sort of gas. Artificial gas."

"And it's aliens, is it?" Wilf asked sounding slightly worried. "Aliens?"

"But if it's poisonous, then they've got poisonous gas in every car on Earth." Donna's eyes widened as the Doctor looked at each car seeing the ATMOS sticker on the backs

"But what sort of gas and what does it do?" Rita hummed in thought trying to think looking at each car while standing beside the Doctor thinking of all of the possible things the gas could be used for.

"It's not safe." Wilf said stepping inside the car before anyone could stop him. "I'm going to get it off the street." The car then started up and thick gas came out the exhaust pipe the Doctor and Rita stepped back in confusion as Donna ran to the drivers side telling Wilf to stop.

"Turn it off." She shouted through the door. "Granddad, get out of there!"

"I can't!" He shouted hitting on the window and trying to open the door. "It's not locked! It's them aliens again!"

"What's he doing?" Sylvia turned back. "What's he done?"

"They've activated it!" The Time Lords looked around the street seeing the gas exiting out of all the cars.

"There's gas inside the car!" Donna screamed. "He's going to choke! Doctor, Stone!" They both ran to the Door as Donna moved out the way, the both of them attempting to open it the Doctor using his sonic while Rita pulled on the door.

"It won't open!" The Doctor gritted his teeth now trying to pull it open with the blonde. "It's the whole world." He realised looking up.

"Help me." Wilf begged Rita ran back to the ATMOS device and started to pull at the wires the Doctor behind her helping, they pulled all of the engine wires out but the gas continued to fill the car, the Doctor and Rita helplessly ran to the middle of the road looking around in alarm not able to do anything.

"Get me out of here!" Wilf screamed again then slowly collapsed inside the car as the red head cried out for the Time Lords to help her


	15. The Poison Sky

The Doctor laid under the car sonicing at the ATMOS device trying to stop the gas while Donna and Rita hit the window and pulled on the door trying to open it. "He's going to choke. Doctor!" Donna cried.

"It won't open." He gritted his teeth hitting the car.

Rita looked up seeing Sylvia run out of the house with a large axe, pulling Donna away from the car Sylvia swung the back of the axe at the windscreen shattering the glass. Donna stared at her mother for a moment before she snapped shaking the red head out of her daze. "Well, don't just stand there. Get him out!" The two helped him out of the car before Donna and Sylvia helped him towards the house.

"Thanks." Wilf muttered to the three as Donna gaped at her mother, "I can't believe you've got an axe."

"Burglars." She shrugged taking Wilf inside.

"Get inside the house." The Doctor instructed. "Just try and close off the doors and windows."

The Doctor and Rita turned around hearing a car, Ross then stopped with a black cab, "Doctor, Stone. This is all I could find that hasn't got ATMOS." The two ran getting in the back of the car while the Doctor shouted out at the red head. "Donna, you coming?"

Looking back at her family unsure then back at the two she nodded moving away.

"Donna." Her mother cried out grabbing her arm then looked at her seriously. "Don't go. Look what happens every time that Doctor and Stone appears. Stay with us, please." She begged as Wilf spoke up defending the Time Lords.

"You go, my darling." He nudged her away slightly coughing.

"Dad!"

"Don't listen to her. You go with the Doctor and the Stone!" He encouraged her on, Donna ran to the car, "that's my girl!" He proudly shouted waving his arms about.

Ross drove the black cab as fast as he could being cautious of the thick fog like gas surrounding them. Stopping at the front gate Ross let the Doctor, Rita and Donna out. "Ross, look after yourself. Get inside the building." He lightly ordered the man.

"Will do." He nodded then spoke into his walkie-talkie as the Doctor took Rita's hand running off to the building. "Greyhound Forty to Trap One. I have just returned the Doctor and Stone to base safe and sound. Over."

"The air is disgusting." Donna coughed almost gagging at the gas she was breathing in, Rita looked over at her worryingly as the Doctor turned back to the red head. "It's not so bad for us." He informed her gesturing to himself and Rita.

"Donna go inside the TARDIS for a while and drink plenty of water, it will help."

"You sound more like a Doctor then he does half the time." She joked even through the fits of coughing.

The Doctor groaning slightly then beamed reaching inside of his suit. "Oh, we've never given you a key." He brought a TARDIS key out handing it to her. "Keep that. Go on, that's yours." He grinned then muttered. "Quite a big moment really."

"Yeah, maybe we can get sentimental after the world's finished choking to death." She replied sarcastically while coughing.

"Good idea." He nodded then took Rita's hand as they headed towards the mobile UNIT HQ.

"Where are you two going?" Donna shouted to them.

"To stop a war!" The Time Lords both shouted over their shoulders to the red head as they ducked under the gate running as fast as they could to the UNIT base narrowing their eyes to see through what was now quite thick gas.

"Right then, here we are." The Doctor ran in with Rita nodding then turned to Mace pointing a finger at him. "Whatever you do, Colonel Mace, do not engage the Sontarans in battle. There is nothing they like better than a war." He warned. "Just leave this to the Stone and I."

"And what are you going to do?" Mace raised his brows at them.

"We've got the TARDIS." Rita raised her brows warning him not to start a war. "We're going to get on board their ship."

The Doctor spotted Martha and leant over her shoulder. "Come on." She stood up following them. Rita slightly glared at her definitely seeing something was wrong, the Doctor noticed her look and took the blonde's hand exiting the mobile HQ and heading to the TARDIS.

 _"I knew there was something wrong."_ She telepathically sighed to the Doctor exchanging a look with him knowing that 'Martha' was definitely a clone. _"Donna reacted to the gas badly, this clone doesn't look like they have a care for the world."_

 _"They must have her hidden somewhere in the factory, need her alive for the clone. As long as the clone is alive and hidden they will keep Martha alive."_

 _"Best keep her alive then,"_ Rita remarked to him. "Oh just great." She groaned seeing the TARDIS wasn't where they left it as they walked up.

"But where's the TARDIS?" 'Martha' worryingly asked acting more like the real Martha than before.

"Taste that, in the air." The Doctor made a disgusted face, Rita covering her nose and mouth at the foul stench. "Yuck. That sort of metal tang."

"Teleport exchange," Rita mumbled through the sleeve of her black blazer jacket.

"It's the Sontarans." The Doctor said. "They've taken it. I'm stuck on Earth like... like an ordinary person." He sounded disgusted both the Time Lords both watching 'Martha' for her reactions. "Like a human."

"How rubbish is that?" Rita muttered watching 'Martha' who didn't have a care in the world not picking up on what the blonde which was extremely out of character for what she had just said.

"Sorry, no offence, but come on." The Doctor groaned quickly exchanging a look with Rita both of them knowing for definite that this was not the real Martha Jones.

"So what do we do?" She frantically asked the pair.

"Well, I mean, it's shielded." He shrugged. "They could never detect it."

"What?" She frowned.

"Martha." Rita looked at her. "We were wondering." She glanced at the Doctor who nodded along with her. "Have you phoned your family at all? Or your fiancé Tom?"

"No." She frowned at them both. "What for?"

"The gas." The Doctor raised a brow at her. "Tell them to stay inside."

Realising that she slipped up she nodded trying to cover up her mistake. "Course I will, yeah but, what about Donna? I mean, where's she?"

"Oh, she's gone home." The Doctor lied. "She's not like you. She's not a soldier. Right. So. Avanti." He took Rita's hand heading back to the mobile HQ again.

"Change of plan." The Doctor burst into the HQ slipping off his coat and throwing it to the side Rita doing exactly the same with her blazer jacket.

"Good to have you both fighting alongside us, Doctor, Stone."

"Oh, we're not fighting." Rita shook her head. "No fighting from us."

"Yeah we're not-fighting, as in not hyphen fighting, got it?" he raised his brows at Mace who gave a slight nod the Doctor then continued standing beside Rita the both of them leaning against a table. "Now, does anyone know what this gas is yet?"

"We're working on it." 'Martha informed them.

"It's harmful, but not lethal until it reaches eighty percent density." A woman explained. "We're having the first reports of deaths from the centre of Tokyo City."

"Sorry, we haven't met." Rita flashed a smile. "You would be...?"

"Captain Marion Price, sir, ma'am." She saluted them both.

"Oh, put your hand down." The Doctor scolded. Turning back to move over to the computers muttering to himself. "Don't salute."

"Jodrell Bank's traced a signal, Doctor, Stone, coming from five thousand miles above the Earth." We're guessing that's what triggered the cars."

"The Sontaran ship," Rita said looking at the diagram on the large screen as she moved back to the Doctor.

"NATO has gone to Defcon One. We're preparing a strike."

The Doctor and Rita snapped their heads in his direction. "You can't do that. Nuclear missiles won't even scratch the surface. Let us talk to the Sontarans." He nodded then nodded over at Rita.

"You're not authorised to speak on behalf of the Earth."

"We got that authority." He told him. "We both earned that a long time ago." He stuck his sonic screwdriver into the communication system. "Calling the Sontaran Command Ship under Jurisdiction Two of the Intergalactic Rules of Engagement. This is the Doctor and the Stone."

"Doctor, Stone, breathing your last?" Staal hissed at them.

"My God," Mace gasped staring. "They're like trolls."

"Yeah, loving the diplomacy, thanks." The Doctor looked over at Mace taking his seat from before placing his legs up on the controls. "So, tell me, General Staal, since when did you lot become cowards?" He asked as Rita sat beside him placing her legs up as well, however, crossing hers gaining a quiet brief amused look from the Doctor before he turned his attention back to the Sontaran.

"How dare you!" Staal snapped at him clearly offended.

"Oh, that's diplomacy?"

"Doctor, you impugn my honour."

"Yeah, I'm really glad you didn't say belittle because then I'd have a field day." He raised his brows at Staal.

"But seriously General Staal poison gas?" Rita looked at him amusingly. "That's the weapon of a coward in your books and you know it."

"Staal, you could blast this planet out of the sky and yet you're sitting up above watching it die." The Doctor added. "Where's the fight in that? Where's the honour? Or are you lot planning something else, because this isn't normal Sontaran warfare. What are you lot up to?"

"A general would be unwise to reveal his strategy to the opposing forces."

"Ah, the war's not going so well, then." The Doctor started spinning in his chair faintly smiling, "Losing, are we?"

"Such a suggestion is impossible."

"What war?" Mace looked at the Doctor confused.

"The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans." He explained keeping his eyes on Staal. "It's been raging, far out in the stars, for fifty thousand years. Fifty thousand years of bloodshed, and for what?"

"For victory." He replied. "Sontar-ha." He started. "Sontar-ha. Sontar-ha. Sontar-ha."

"Oh, I forgot about that." Rita groaned as Staal continued other Sontarans now joining in with him. "Sontar-ha. Sontar-ha."

"Give me a break." The Doctor rolled his eyes changing the channel with his sonic to a cartoon smirking at Rita who gave him an amused look herself.

"Doctor, Stone." Mace spoke up "I would seriously recommend that this dialogue is handled by official Earth representation."

Rita reached into her pocket pulling out her own sonic and switching it back. "You lot finished your little chant?" She raised a brow at them.

 _"Someones cheeky today."_ She heard the Doctor telepathically talking to her.

 _"Watch it you."_ She smirked biting her lip to stop it showing too much on her face.

"You will not be so quick to ridicule when you'll see our prize," Staal said. "Behold. We are the first Sontarans in history to capture a TARDIS."

Rita took the Doctors hand pretending to be scared as he leant forward himself.

"Well, as prizes go, that's... _noble_." He paused before saying the red heads last time trying to send her a message without any of the sontarans catching on.

"As I believe they say in Latin," Rita added. " _Donna nobis pacem._ "

"Did you never wonder about its design?" The Doctor asked. "It's a... _phone_ box. It contains a... _phone_. A... _telephonic device_ for... _communication._ "

"Sort of... _symbolic_ ," Rita added nodding at him.

"Like, if only we could _communicate_ , _you_ and us." The Doctor gestured to himself, the Stone and the screen looking straight into the camera.

"All you have communicated is your distress, Doctor, Stone." Staal tried to taunt them both.

"Big mistake though, showing it to us." The Doctor said as they both held up their sonics, "We've got remote controls." The Doctor dangling his sonic screwdriver in the air while Rita twiddled her own sonic between her fingers.

"Cease transmission!" Staal shouted before the screen cut out.

"Ah, well." He shrugged looking at Rita.

"That achieved nothing," Mace told them Rita raising her brow at him.

"Now Colonel are you underestimating the Doctor? That's dangerous territory." She chuckled.

"Even more dangerous if you're underestimating the Stone." The Doctor looked over at her smirking.

The two walked over to 'Martha' glancing at the clip board in her hands as she explained what UNIT knew about the gas. "There's carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, but ten percent unidentified." She looked at them as they nodded understanding what she was saying. "Some sort of artificial heavy element we can't trace. You ever seen anything like it?"

"Nothing I know, Stone?" He raised a brow at the blonde frowning in thought.

"Hmm?" She looked at him blankly. "Oh sorry I was thinking." She shrugged. "No idea what it is not a clue." Truth be told she was thinking, mainly about the conversation the real Martha had with the Time Lady earlier on that day about the Doctor and marriage, she would never admit it herself but she was honestly terrified of the thought, she had only been married before and it was a forced arranged marriage where she didn't have a say in anything at all, her mother making all of the plans from the food to her 'guest list' they didn't even invite the Doctor someone who would have been at the very top of the list considering he was the only 'true' and 'real' friend she had on Gallifrey. "It must be something the Sontarans invented." She added shrugged as the Doctor slightly frowned at her knowing well that she didn't listen to the Doctor speak by accident if she ever ignored him she did it on purpose and not as an accident. "This isn't just poison. They need this gas for something else." She hummed. "What could they need it for?"

"Launch grid online and active."

"Positions, ladies and gentlemen, Defcon One initiatives in progress."

The Time Lords snapped their heads storming over to Mace. "What?" They shouted at the man. "We told you not to launch!"

"The gas is at sixty percent density. Eighty percent and people start dying, Doctor, Stone. We've got no choice."

"Launching in sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven, fifty-six." The Doctor stepped back lacing his fingers with Rita's as they watched on in panic. The Doctor running a hand through his hair as Rita swallowed hard. The TARDIS, as well as Donna, was on that ship. Starting to shake the Doctor pulled her in for a hug knowing exactly what she was thinking. Resting his head on hers. He watched on as Rita listened closely. "Worldwide nuclear grid now coordinating. Fifty-four, fifty-three."

"You're making a mistake, Colonel." The Doctor snapped glaring at the man. "For once, I hope the Sontarans are ahead of you."

"North America, online." Price stated reading as the red dots appeared on the screen. "United Kingdom, online. France, online. India, online. Pakistan, online. China, online. North Korea, online. All systems locked and coordinated." Rita breathed deeply hoping that something stopped it, her friend was up there all on her own in the TARDIS no doubt scared out of her mind, she left _her_ own family to help them. "Launching in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five..."

"God save us." Mace muttered under his breath.

"Four, three, two, one. Zero." Rita frowned slightly after a moment looking up from where her head was resting against the Doctors chest. He glanced over at 'Martha' seeing her phone out of the corner of his eye just as the screen when blank.

 _"She stopped it."_ He telepathically told her. Breathing out a sigh she closed her eyes resting her head on his chest once more glad that Donna, as well as the TARDIS holding many memories she had with the Doctor, were safe.

"What is it?" Mace frowned looking around the group of people at computers. "What happened?" He questioned after no one answer. "Did we launch?" No answers again. "Well, did we?"

"Negative, sir." Price shook her head. "The launch codes have been wiped, sir. It must be the Sontarans."

"Can we override it?" He asked.

"Trying it now, sir."

"Missiles wouldn't even dent that ship, so why are the Sontarans so keen to stop you?" The Doctor asked stepping beside 'Martha' keeping hold of Rita's hand as she moved beside him calmed down now. The Doctor looked at 'Martha', "Any ideas?"

"How should I know?" She glared at him.

 _"This clone doesn't even deserve the title clone."_ Rita mentally scoffed. _"Smells a bit funny as well."_ She muttered trying not to think about it.

 _"Gave us exactly what we wanted though."_ He remarked to her.

"Enemy within." The Time Lords faintly heard on a walkie talkie. "At arms. Greyhound Forty declaring Absolute emergency. Sontarans within factory grounds. East corridor, grid six. Absolute emergency. Declaring Code Red." They heard the voice of Ross shakily call through. "All troops, Code Red."

"Get them out of there!" The Doctor and Rita shouted at the top of their lungs.

Mace paused for a moment seeing the anger on their faces before he turned back to the large screen blankly looking at it. "All troops, open fire."

Hearing the click of the guns through the walkie-talkie Rita squeezed the Doctors hand. She had seen plenty of death before but it never got easier hearing or seeing it happen, especially when you knew the dying side didn't stand at all a chance and were being forced into it. "Guns aren't working," Ross said. "Inform all troops, standard weapons do not work." They heard the agonising painful cry of multiple troops as they fell to the floor dead. "Tell the Doctor and the Stone, it's that cordolaine signal. "They're the only ones who can stop them." He said.

"Greyhound Forty, report," Mace ordered, hearing the buzz of the walkie talkie he repeated himself louder this time. "Over. Greyhound Forty, report. Greyhound Forty, report."

"He wasn't Greyhound Forty." The Doctor coldly replied.

Rita swallowed her expression matching the Doctors. "His name was Ross."

"Now listen to us, and get them out of there!" The Doctor shouted at Mace. Rita watched him her jaw clenched out of anger. She noticed his eyes were slightly teary and couldn't tell if it was because the Doctor shouted at him very, very loudly or that he knew his men had died without standing a chance.

Swallowing he controlled his emotions. "Trap One to all stations. Retreat. Order imperative. Immediate retreat."

 _"Finally."_ Rita breathed out a sigh. _"I just hope Donna is safe in the TARDIS, oh she is going to kill us when we see her."_

 _"Kill me more like."_ He remarked the corner of his lip curling into a small smile at her joke in a time like this, that was his Stone always one to crack at a joke in the best of times. _"No doubt she thinks I dragged you into this."_

 _"Probably."_ She shook her head at the thought.

"They've taken the factory." Mace interrupted the two.

"Why would they do that?" Rita frowned thinking.

"They don't need it. Why attack now?" The Doctor questioned wondering exactly the same thing as Rita. "What are they up to? Times like this, we could do with the Brigadier." He remarked to Rita who nodded along in agreement. "No offence." He added looking at Mace.

"None taken." Mace nodded. "Sir Alistair's a fine man, if not the best."

"Definitely one of the best." Rita nodded at him. "Almost as clever as the Doctor." He raised a brow at her. "Sweetheart I said almost." She shook her head at him.

Mace lightly coughed gaining the Time Lords attention again then added on from his earlier comment. "Unfortunately, he's stranded in Peru."

"Launch grid back online." Price spoke over her shoulder to Mace. Rita discreetly and quickly glanced at 'Martha' seeing her press the phone in her hand.

"They're inside the system, sir." Price said. "It's coming from within UNIT itself."

 _"Thank you clone not so clone of Martha Jones, oh that rhymes."_

 _"So it does."_ He shrugged at her.

"Trace it," Mace ordered. "Find out where it's coming from, and quickly. Gas levels?"

"Sixty-six percent in major population areas, and rising."

Nodding Mace walked into a tiny office the Doctor and Rita following him quieting their voices.

"Why are they defending the factory only after we were inside?" He asked them both.

"Because they wanted UNIT here." The Doctor answered crossing his arms. "You gave them something they needed. Something now hidden inside the factory. Something precious."

"We've got to recover it." He stated. "This cordolaine signal thing, how does it work?

"Basically in the simplest of terms." Rita went on to explain. "It causes expansion of the copper shell in the bullets, makes it so the gun is well useless. Exactly how I would like all weapons to be, unusable." Seeing Mace break into a broad smile she groaned. "Colonel don't even think about it." She pointed at him.

"I'm on it." He completely ignored her heading out of the office and heading towards the UNIT mobile HQ exit the Doctor running to the glass office door shouting at him. "For the billionth time, you can't fight Sontarans!"

 _"We need to call Donna."_ Rita telepathically informed him. Slightly nodding not looking at her he walked up to the nearest UNIT officer whispering to him. "Phone. Have you got a phone?" He asked. The man nodded. "I need your mobile." Glancing at 'Martha' he gritted his teeth. "Quickly, hurry up." Gaining the phone Rita silently sighed as the Doctor headed back into the office dialling Martha's old phone's number placing it on speaker and turning the volume as slow as it would go so both Time Lords could talk to the red head.

"Where are you two?" Donna hissed at them.

"Still on Earth." The Doctor replied. "But don't worry, I've got my secret weapon."

"The Stone?" She asked Rita practically hearing the bluntness in her voice.

"No Donna." Rita shook her head whispering to the woman. "He means our secret weapon, and really Doctor you go and use the word weapon on a UNIT vehicle." She scolded him. "If they hear that especially the colonel we would never hear the end of it."

"Back to the point." The Doctor muttered looking at her slightly smirking at her rambling which he honestly thought was brilliant and adorable that she didn't even notice herself doing it half the time. "You are our secret _weapon._ " He quietly whispered the last part glancing around

"Oh. Somehow that's not making me happy." She remarked, Rita glanced through the glass window thankfully seeing 'Martha' extremely busy. "Can't either of you just zap us down to Earth with them remote things?" She asked

"Yeah, we haven't got remotes., though we really should." Rita nodded at him humming in agreement. "We need you on that ship. That's why we made them move the TARDIS I'm sorry but you've got to go outside."

"But there's Sonteruns out there."

"Sontarans." They both corrected. "But they'll all be on battle stations right now." The Doctor explained to her. "They don't exactly walk about having coffee. We can talk you through it."

"But what if they find me?"

"We know, and we wouldn't ask, but there's nothing else we can do. The whole planet is choking, Donna and I weren't going to send the Stone up, I need her here." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair worryingly, Rita took his hand looking in his eyes her own with a hint of worry showing.

"What do you need me to do?" Donna asked swallowing hard.

"The Sontarans are inside the factory which means they've got a teleport link with the ship, but they'll have deadlocked it. We need you to reopen the link."

"But I can't even mend a fuse." She protested.

"Donna, stop talking about yourself like that. You can do this. I promise." He told her.

There was a pause and a moment later her voice. came whispering through the phone. "There's a Sonterun." She then corrected herself as the Time Lords opened their mouths to do so. "Sontaran."

"Did he see you?" They both asked.

"No, he's got his back to me."

"Right, Donna, listen. On the back of his neck on his collar, there's a sort of plug, like a hole. The Probic vent. One blow to the Probic vent knocks them out."

"But he's going to kill me." She cried into the phone.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said his grip tightening on Rita's hand. "I swear I'm so sorry, but you've got to try."

"Donna, use that mallet I'm always telling the Doctor to throw away, we're so sorry."

The Time Lords exchanged looks worryingly listening in for Donna to come through on the phone. "Back of the neck." They heard her grinning through the phone.

Rita and the Doctor gave out a quiet laugh hugging each other before letting go to tell the redhead what to do next. "Now then, you got to find the external junction feed to the teleport."

"What, what's it look like?"

"A circular panel on the wall."

"Big symbol on the front, like a..." Rita through pinching the bridge of her nose, "like a... Letter T with a horizontal line through it." She remembered. "Or two Fs back to back."

"Oh. Well, there's a door." She pointed out.

"Should be a switch by the side." The Doctor informed her.

"Yeah, there is. But it's Sontaran shaped, you need three fingers."

"Donna." They both said into the phone. "You've got three fingers."

"Oh, yeah." She said the Doctor lightly rolling his eyes. Rita hitting his arm a little scoldingly.

"I'm through."

"Oh, you are brilliant, you are." The Doctor cooed into the phone.

"Shut up," Dona replied, the blonde chuckled at them both. "Right. T with a line through it." Rita glanced back into the main room and lightly patted the Doctors arm seeing Mace had returned.

"Got to go." The Doctor said to Donna. "Keep the line open."

"Counter attack."

"I said, you don't stand a chance." The Doctor ran back in with Rita.

"Positions." He ordered. "That means everyone." He tossed a gas mask at the Doctor then at Rita.

 _"I really need to remember to resign when this is over."_ She grumbled to the Doctor.

 _"Oh come on you enjoy it."_

 _"Not the guns."_ She made a grim face heading to the exit with him.

"You're not going without me." 'Martha' looked at them both.

"Wouldn't dream of it." The Doctor looked at her then took Rita's hand following Mace out.

"Latest firing stock. What do you think, Doctor, Stone?" Mace asked showing them a bullet. Rita made a grim face behind the gas mask while the Doctor turned to Mace after clearly not paying any attention.

"Are you my mummy?" Rita snorted out a laugh which then became even bigger after she heard herself snort. The Doctor shook his head at her amused.

"If you both could concentrate." They heard the glare behind Mace's voice. "Bullets with a rad-steel coating." He explained handing one to the Doctor. "No copper surface. Should overcome the cordolaine signal."

"But the Sontarans have got lasers." He tossed it back. "You can't even see in this fog." He moved around taking the blonde with him. "The night vision doesn't work."

"Thank you, Doctor." Mace sarcastically nodded. "Thank you for your lack of faith. But this time, I'm not listening."

"Wouldn't be the first time you did that," Rita muttered quietly. Mace then took off his gas mask and walked in front of the UNIT troops.

"Attention, all troops." He loudly announced. "The Sontarans might think of us as primitive, as does every passing species with an axe to grind. They make a mockery of our weapons, our soldiers, our ideals. But no more. From this point on, it stops. From this point on, the people of Earth fight back, and we show them. We show the warriors of Sontar what the human race can do. Trap One to Hawk Major. Go, go, go."

Suddenly there was a huge downdraft the Doctor crouched down slightly with Rita not knowing what it was with the gas around them.

"It's working," Mace shouted. "The area's clearing. Engines to maximum."

"The Valiant" Rita shuddered. The Doctor looked at her remembering that she still secretly blamed herself for the Master's death, he knew that she hated herself for it even when she got in the way trying to stop it she could. The Doctor brought her closer to himself as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug feeling her slightly shaking in his arm.

"UNIT Carrier Ship Valiant reporting for duty, Doctor, Stone." He looked at them for a moment then awkwardly looked away feeling like he was intruding. The Doctor gently let go of Rita taking off his gas mask and then gently removing hers. _"You okay?"_ He cupped her cheek with his hand gently forcing her to look into his eyes. Seeing her slightly nod at him the Doctor softly smiled kissed her forehead then turned back to Mace keeping an arm around the Time Lady's waist. "With engines strong enough to clear away the fog." Mace then continued.

"I can't deny," Rita looked up to the Valiant. "It's a brilliant plan."

"Getting a taste for it, Doctor, Stone?"

"No, not at all." He shook his head. "Not us."

"Valiant, fire at will." Mace ordered a moment before six beams from the Valiant came together joining up into one beam then hitting the ATMOS factory.


	16. The Poison Sky - Two

After becoming safe Colonel Mace as well as other troops entered the building followed by Rita, the Doctor and 'Martha'. "East and north secure. Doctor, Stone?" Mace asked running down a hall. The Doctor quickly pulled out the phone whispering into it while he and the Stone pulled out their sonics. "Donna, hold on. We're coming."

"Shouldn't we follow the Colonel?" 'Martha' questioned.

"Nah, you, me and the Stone, Martha Jones." He started to scan the area with Rita the both of them finding the gene direction of the real Martha's whereabouts. "Just like old times."

"Alien technology, this-a way!" The Doctor took the lead Rita catching up to walk along side him scanning around following the signal.

They continued down in the factory getting deeper and deeper until it was just the two Time Lords with the clone Martha following them. The lights in the corridor flickered on as they entered. "No Sontarans down here." The Doctor hummed looking about. "They can't resist a battle." He found a door and soniced it. "Here we go."

Entering they found Martha lying in a diagonal bed with a sort of crown like headwear obviously sending memories and keeping the clone alive. The Doctor and Rita both ran over checking Martha and making sure she was okay. "Oh, Martha, I'm so sorry." The Doctor checked her pulse. "Still alive." He nodded to Rita who sighed of relief.

Hearing a gun the Doctor looked over his shoulder seeing the fake Martha holding one to his head. Knowing that she wouldn't shoot he turned back not caring. "Are we supposed to be impressed?" He asked.

"Wish you carried a gun now?"

"Not at all." He replied turning around and circling the clone. "The Stone would never forgive me." He nodded over to her as she stood next to the sleeping Martha watching.

"I've been stopping the nuclear launch all this time."

"Which is exactly what we wanted," Rita spoke up.

"We needed to stop the missiles, just as much as the Sontarans." He explained. "We're not having Earth start an interstellar war. You're a triple agent."

"When did you know?" She frowned still pointing the gun at him.

"About you? Oh, right from the start." He shrugged explaining. "Reduced iris contraction, slight thinning of the hair follicles on the left temple. And, frankly, you smell." He looked at her slightly disgusted. "You might as well have worn a T-shirt saying clone." The Doctor then walked over standing directly behind the real Martha. "Although, maybe not in front of Captain Jack. You remember him, don't you?" He raised a brow at her. "Because you've got all her memories. That's why the Sontarans had to protect her, to keep you inside UNIT. Martha Jones is keeping you alive." He pulled the device of Martha's head as she gasped while the clone collapsed. He kicked the gun away while Rita held Martha trying to calm her down.

"It's okay." She reassured her. "We're both here." She hugged the terrified woman

The Doctor then hugged her as well. "We've got you. We've got you."

"There was this thing, Doctor, Stone," she tried to explain through her breaths. "This alien, with this head." The phone then rang and the Doctor suddenly remembered Donna on the ship.

"Oh! Blimey, I'm busy." He muttered to himself answering. "Got it?"

"Martha, you okay?" Rita worryingly asked. She nodded hugging the Time Lady again who sighed with relief.

"Take off the covering." The Doctor explained to Donna. "All the blue switches inside flick them up like a fuse box, and that should get the teleport working."

"Oh, my God." Martha gasped staring at the struggling clone. "That's me."

"Yeah..." Rita scratched the back of her neck. "That's the 'alien, with this head'." She quoted her from earlier. "Doctor give Martha your coat she's freezing. The Doctor threw his coat over to Rita who caught it then helped Martha out handing her the coat before she ran over to the Doctor helping him with the teleport.

The two sat side by side messing with the wires. "It's days like this where I don't regret a thing." Rita chuckled.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor raised a brow.

"Just..." she hummed thinking. "Like I don't ever regret going with you when you asked if I wanted to sneak into the TARDIS back when we were practically kids."

"You think I ever do?" He raised a brow at her wondering.

"When I get all stressed, annoying and angry, yeah." She shrugged.

"You honestly think that?"

"Sometimes but then I'm like 'nah'." She laughed making him chuckle.

"When we're back on the TARDIS..." The Doctor paised for a moment. "I need to show you something."

"Don't tell me it's a surprise." She groaned. "Do you never listen to me, Doctor?"

"I do. But I enjoy teasing you more." He smirked.

"Of course you do." She rolled her eyes focusing back on the wires of the teleport.

Hearing Martha speaking to the clone the Doctor jumped up looking through the gap. "The gas!" He shouted. "Tell us about the gas!"

"They're the enemy." The clone jolted away from the pair as they ran out of the teleport to listen to the clone.

"Then tell me," Martha begged her clone. "It's not just poison, what's it for? Martha, please."

Staring at the real Martha for a moment she started to mumble quietly. "Caesofine concentrate. It's one part of Bosteen, two parts Probic five."

"Clonefeed!" The Doctor and Rita shouted looking at each other, the Doctor hitting his forehead as Rita raised her hands. "It's clonefeed!"

"What's clonefeed?" Martha frowned.

"Like amniotic fluid for Sontarans." The Doctor explained sonicing the wires. "That's why they're not invading. They're converting the atmosphere, changing the planet into a clone world. Earth becomes a great big hatchery."

"Because the Sontarans are clones, that's how they reproduce," Rita explained clearer for Martha to understand. "Give them a planet this big and they'll create billions of new soldiers. The gas isn't poison, it's their food."

They both ran back to the teleport and continued to mess with the wires until they heard the whispers of Donna through the phone. "Doctor." She hissed. "Stone. Blue switches done." they beamed finishing what they were doing, "but they've found me." She said in horror.

The Doctor pulled Rita away outside of the teleport and soniced it. "Now!" Donna then appeared in front of them hugging the Doctor as Rota ran over to the teleport pressing a few buttons so the TARDIS would reappear back on earth.

"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?" Donna asked the Doctor.

"There TARDIS is back nice and safe." Rita wiped her hands before she started to be crushed by Donna hugging her. "Yeah, I hate you as well Stone." She laughed.

"Can't breathe... need to breathe..." Rita panted after Donna let her go. "Thanks, Donna." She patted the woman's shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Right, now." The Doctor looked over at Martha. "Martha, you coming?" He asked stepping into the teleport.

"What about this nuclear launch thing?" She asked looking at her phone.

"Just keep pressing N." He explained. "We want to keep those missiles on the ground."

Donna looked at Martha then the clone confused. "There's two of them."

"Yeah, long story." The Doctor said.

"I'll explain it to you later Donna," Rita told the woman.

"Here we go. The old team, back together. Well, the new team."

"May I remind you the last time you had a reunion with old companions you hated using the word team?" Rita smirked enjoying the teasing.

"Are you ever going to let that go?" He asked her.

"Sweetheart as your girlfriend slash best friend it is my job to repeatedly remind you about your slip ups." She laughed.

"Did they always do that?" Donna asked Martha.

"What did we do?" The Doctor looked at Donna, not understanding.

"That." Both companies pointed between the Time Lords. "Talk about something neither of us know about in banter sort of way with a slight hint of flirting." Martha laughed.

"Oh well." Rita looked at the floor her cheeks becoming red.

"Anyways Allons-y!"

"We're not going back on that ship!" Donna cried out.

"No, no, no. No." The Doctor shook his head. "We needed to get the teleport working so that we could get to..." he hit the teleport transporting them...

"Here." He said finishing his sentence looking around. "The Rattigan Academy, owned by..." he looked up seeing Rattigan pointing a gun at them.

"Don't tell anyone what I did." He cried shaking. "It wasn't my fault, the Sontarans lied to me, they..." Rita rolled her eyes bored of seeing a gun today she marched forward ripping it out of his hand. "The next person I see with a bloody gun is going to get thrown in a supernova personally by me," Rita grumbled throwing it over into the pool.

"Well." The Doctor looked at her blinking for a moment before following the blonde out into the academy laboratory.

"You know, that coat sort of works," Donna said to Martha.

"I feel like a kid in my dad's clothes." She laughed.

"Don't say that in front of the Stone." Donna laughed. "The Doctor would never hear the end of it, his face would be horrified and she would never shut up about it!"

"Right then." Rita looked around. "If only we had lots of equipment we could use." She grinned at the Doctor. "Come on." She laughed running around the room collecting different equipment.

Donna and Martha later walked in with Rattigan as they built the device to clear the air.

"That's why the Sontarans had to stop the missiles." The Doctor explained to them. "They were holding back. Because caesofine gas is volatile, that's why they had to use you to stop the nuclear attack. Ground to air engagement could spark off the whole thing."

"What, like set fire to the atmosphere?" Martha asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "They need all the gas intact to breed their clone army. And all the time we had Luke here in his dream factory. Planning a little trip, were we?"

"They promised me a new world." He shakily replied.

"You were building equipment, ready to terraform El Mondo Luko so that humans could live there and breathe the air with this."

"An atmospheric converter." Rita added. as the Doctor switched on the device then picked it up running out of the room.

They ran into the garden and he placed the device down on the grass.

"That's London." Donna gasped. "You can't even see it. My family's in there."

"We'll sort it out Donna, I promise you." Rita patted her shoulder then bent down to help the Doctor.

"If we can get this on the right setting." He mumbled then stepped back with Rita both of them holding the remote.

"Doctor, Stone, hold on." Martha stopped them. "You said the atmosphere would ignite."

"Yeah, we did, didn't we?" He said then looked at Rita who nodded. They both pressed the button and watched the energy pulse zoom up into the gas clouds which then ignited. Lacing their fingers together as well as crossing them the Doctor and Rita watched in hope that their plan would work

"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please." They muttered to themselves.

Suddenly the fire disappeared and the bright blue sky shone through laughing Rita jumped up and down hugging the Doctor as the rest of them blinked.

"They're geniuses." Rattigan breathed

"Just brilliant." Martha beamed.

Rita then stopped hugging the Doctor knowing it wasn't over yet she helped him collect the equipment. "Now we're in trouble." He muttered running back in Rita not letting go of his hand.

Bringing the device into the teleport his face fell looking at the three humans, not even daring to look at Rita, he couldn't right now. "Right. So, Donna, thank you for everything." He forced a smile at the woman. "Martha, you too. Oh, so many times. Luke, do something clever with your life." He then blinked looking at Rita. "Stone... I love you so much, you know that don't you?"

It sounded like... No, he could, he wouldn't dare try and leave her here. She thought, if he was going then so was she, she swallowed hard trying not to break down straight away. "Don't you dare." She shook her head blinking back tears stepping closer to him. "I'm not letting you."

Donna blinked realising what was going on. "You're saying goodbye."

"Sontarans are never defeated." He explained. "They'll be getting ready for war. And, well, you know, I've recalibrated this for Sontaran air, so..."

"You're going to ignite them."

"You'll kill yourself." Donna gasped at the thought.

"Just send that thing up on its own." Martha blinked back her own tears. "I don't know. Put it on a delay."

"He can't." Rita looked up at them swallowing thickly her eyes glassy with tears. "Because that's who he is. He's the Doctor and he gives them a chance. It's what he does. And I stay right beside him." She stepped back towards the Doctor. "I'm going with you Doctor and I don't care about what you say because I am not letting you go up there all on your own."

"No-"

"Doctor just listen please." She cut him off taking his hand as he slowly placed down the device taking the other in his. "I love you so much." She cupped his cheek. "And I'm staying right beside you until the end, I promised myself that."

"Stone please stay here." He begged. "You have a regeneration take the TARDIS and do what you do best, help people."

"I can't do it without you, Doctor." She stared into his eyes. "I can't be the last because it terrifies me and you know that it would break me, I wouldn't be the same." The Doctor swallowed. He couldn't betray her trust, not with this, he knew it would definitely break her, he didn't want her to remember him for betraying her and forcing her to stay. "I can't Doctor."

"I love you so much." He tightly hugged her tears slipping from his eyes as he then kissed her with all of the love he couldn't put into words. "I-" he swallowed. "I know it's useless now but you need to know." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box that looked light grey almost silver slightly sparkling in the dim light around them with Gallifreyan engraved looked up at her his hands slightly shaking.

"Is that..." she stared at the ring in the box seeing the white stone glistening in the light knowing only one stone that looked like that. "That's an amalgamate ring..." she looked at him her eyes widening slightly.

"It was my grandfathers." He swallowed. "After my grandmother died he never remarried for obvious reasons, my father didn't give it to anyone because he never found someone worth giving it to and by that time arranged marriages were the new thing along with looms, so he gave it to me."

"Were you..." she blinked swallowing a little. "Were you going to ask us to unite..?"

The Doctors eyes widened seeing the slight worry in her eyes and quickly look up at her after his eyes wandered to the floor. "I wanted to ask you for a while" He admitted. "But I never asked and now it's too late." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear trying to understand the thoughts swirling around in her mind.

"Sweetheart it's never too late." She looked into his eyes completely forgetting about the three humans now tearful themselves standing in the room.

Swallowing hard the Doctor took her hand looking deep into her eyes. "Dame Stone of Oakdown, will you accept this amalgamate ring and unify with me?"

"Lord Doctor of Lungbarrow..." she looked into his eyes searching them as his own searched hers. "I accept." The Doctor sniffed back his own sobs as he carefully took the ring out of the box before placing the box into his pocket, gently he slipped the ring onto her finger watching the white diamond sparkle along with the tiny diamonds engraved around the centre of the silver band wishing that he had asked her sooner and in better circumstances. But this was the Doctor and the Stone the last of the Time Lords the both of them living impossible dangerous lives together. The Doctor cupped her cheek then slowly leant in to her closing his eyes, softly and slowly kissing her lips enjoying the moment with her, his arms snaking around her waist pulling her closer before resting his forehead against hers for a moment looking deeply into her eyes.

Taking her hand and the device they looked back at the three humans, Donna and Martha looking heart broken. The Doctor pressed the button on the teleport tightly holding the Stones hand with his other the machine between them both, transferring them to the ship.

"Oh, excellent." They saw Staal beaming at them.

"General Staal, you know what this is." The Doctor said holding his hand on the device Rita's under his. "But there's one more option. You can go. Just leave. Sontaran High Command need never know what happened here."

"Your stratagem would be wise if Sontarans feared death, but we do not. At arms." He ordered.

"Don't think we won't do it, Staal," Rita warned.

"If it saves the Earth, we'll do it." The Doctor hissed

"A warrior doesn't talk, he acts."

"We are giving you the chance to leave." The Doctor warned.

"And miss the glory of this moment?" He snapped.

"All weapons targeting Earth, sir. Firing in twenty."

"We're warning you." Rita glared at him.

"And I salute you both. Take aim."

"Shoot us, we're still going to press this." The Doctor shouted. "You'll die, Staal."

"Knowing that you both die too." He almost laughed.

"Firing in fifteen."

"For the glory of Sontar." He started. "Sontar-ha. Sontar-ha. Sontar-ha. Sontar-ha." They all chanted.

"We'll do it!" Rita shouted slightly shaking.

"Then do it!" Staal shouted at them.

The Doctor looked at Rita the both of the thickly swallowing, another tear escaping her eye before... they teleported back? Falling to the floor out of confusion blinking not understanding what happened the Doctor pulled Rita practically onto his lap tightly hugging her burying his face into her hair as she gave shaky breaths. The two companions spotted them running over Martha sitting beside them hugging them both tightly after they had calmed down while Donna walked over hitting both of their arms then looked at them worryingly. Rita went back to hiding her face in the Doctors neck shaking. _"Shush."_ He cooed into her mind trying to comfort her. _"I got you."_ He whispered into her mind holding her as close as possible. _"I'm here love, I got you."_ He gently rocked them both holding to his chest hearing and feeling her quietly sob, something that broke both of his hearts in two, she thought they were both going to die for good there.

Back at the TARDIS, Martha gave the shaken Time Lords some time and space to think, how ironic. Donna had gone how to check on her family. The Doctor and Rita sat in the library in their usual position the Doctor and Rita curled up together with his arm around her. He rested his head on hers staring down at her hand softly smiling at the thought. Lightly coughing he gained her attention as she looked up at him. "Do you..." he thought of the words. "Do you still want to?"

Her eyes widened at the question. "Do you not?" She asked worried about his answer.

"If you don't" he hastily replied trying to understand the thoughts going through her head. "I won't force you."

"Doctor." She looked up at him her soft eyes staring into his. "Everything I said was true, I love you so much, I know it's a massive step and I'm scared, but I know you will be there beside me and I will be right beside you sweetheart." She cupped his cheek.

Softly smiling he took her hand off his cheek lightly kissing it. "I'm sorry it wasn't the best of situations and that my timing is horrible."

"You did it your way and that makes it so beautiful, no plan, no thought you just went along with it and that is _your_ way." She sighed resting her head against his chest closing her eyes, happy that the both of them were still alive.

A couple of moments past the Doctor holding her close. "I can't believe it." He then mumbled into her hair.

"Hmm?" She tilted her head up looking at him, she raised a brow edging him on to continue.

"You agreed to be my wife."

"Of course I did." She warmly smiled at him. "I love you don't I?" She smirked.

"Hopefully as much as I love you." He kissed her forehead. "love you."

"Love you too Doctor." She breathed deeply closing her eyes and smiling.

"How were they?" Martha worryingly asked Donna as she stepped into the TARDIS, her eyes stained with leftover tears. She glanced at the Time Lords smiling softly at them standing together no longer looking terrified and scared by now full of love for one another, not that they did not have that look in their eyes when they looked at each other before, but now it was even stronger, even when they weren't even glancing at the other Time Lord. "Oh, same old stuff." Donna shrugged. "They're fine." Sighing she changed the topic. "So, you going to come with us? We're not exactly short of space." She joking gaining a laugh from Rita and Martha the Doctors lip twitching into a small smile.

"Oh, I have missed all this, but, you know." She looked around happily then at the Time Lords saddening. "I'm good here, back at home. And I'm better for having been away." She nodded at them. "Besides, someone needs me. Never mind the universe, I've got a great big world of my own now, just like you have a great big world as well Stone." She laughed hugging the Time Lady, suddenly the TARDIS doors slammed shut on their own and the time rotor began to move throwing the four of them around the console.

"What?!" The Doctor looked in alarm.

"How..?" Rita stared at the console, moving to the scanner trying to find out what was going on.

"Doctor, Stone, don't you dare!" Martha cried holding on to the TARDIS beside Donna.

"No, no, no." The Doctor shook his head. "We didn't touch anything. We're in flight. It's not us." He explained.

"Where are we going?" Donna asked holding on as tight as she could.

"I don't know." Rita stared at the monitor going to her last resort and hitting it wincing a little since she didn't enjoy hurting the TARDIS.

"It's out of control!" The Doctor tried desperately to contra the TARDIS.

"Doctor, Stone, just listen to me," Martha shouted at them begging. "You take me home. Take me home right now!"


	17. The Doctor and the Stone's Daughter

"What the hell's it doing?" Donna cried barely able to hold on to the TARDIS.

"The control's not working." The Doctor informed them they were then thrown around in the direction of the jar holding his hand. "I don't know where we're going, but my old hand's very excited about it." He said.

"When aren't you excited to go anywhere?" Rita rolled her eyes.

"I thought that was just some freaky alien thing." Donna looked at him in horror. "You telling me it's yours?"

"Well." The Doctor shrugged.

"It got cut off. He grew a new one."

"You are completely impossible."

"Not impossible." He said grinning. "Just a bit unlikely." Suddenly there was a loud bang that echoed the console room followed by sparks. Martha and Donna screamed out of shock before they all looked up at the sudden silence and stillness. He looked up and took the Time Ladys hand the both of them rubbing outside the TARDIS.

They found themselves in an underground railway with rubble, wires and it being extremely dark.

"Why would the Tardis bring us here, then?" The Doctor looked around keeping Rita beside him.

"Oh, I love this bit." Martha looked round beaming as she stepped out the TARDIS Donna following.

"I thought you wanted to go home." Donna raised a brow.

"I know, but all the same," she shrugged, "it's that feeling you get."

"Like you swallowed a hamster?" Donna asked making Rita snort out a laugh.

"Never thought of it that way." She shrugged laughing.

"Don't move!" They heard a man shouting. "Stay where you are!" A man along with two others pointed their guns at the four. "Drop your weapons!"

"We're unarmed." The Doctor raised his hands pushing Rita slightly behind him as Donna and Martha raised their hands as well. "Look, no weapons. Never any weapons. We're safe."

"Look at their hands." One of the soldiers stared at the four of them. "They're clean."

"All right, process them." The soldier in the middle said. "Him first."

"Woah what?" Rita stepped forward the Doctor pushed her back slightly as the guards grabbed him.

"Oi, oi." He said as they dragging him away. "What's wrong with clean hands?"

"What's going on?" Martha asked stepping forward than moving back as the soldiers held their guns up, pointing them at the three.

The Doctor was pulled away to a large machine, the guards pushed his right arm inside

"Leave him alone." Donna protested against it.

"Something tells me this isn't about to check my blood pressure." He sarcastically muttered, the machine grabbed him pulling on his arm slightly. "Argh!" He cried out a little gritting his teeth.

"What are you doing to him?" Donna asked.

"Everyone gets processed."

"It's taken a tissue sample." The Doctor explained then whimpered in pain. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. And extrapolated it. Some kind of accelerator?" The Doctors arm was released, Rita ran over taking his hand and frowning seeing a Y shaped graze on the back of his hand. "Sweetheart are you okay?" She asked slightly worried from not knowing what the machine actually did to him.

"What on earth?" He noticed his hand. "That's just..." he trailed off as the sound of a door opened. They looked up as what they guessed was right a pair of glass and metal doors opened showing a figure which stepped out. A skinny young woman who looked around early 20's late teens, with blonde hair and a high ponytail wearing a green t-shirt, combat boots and trousers stepped out.

The Doctor and Rita blinked at the sight raising their brows. "Arm yourself." The soldier handed the woman a rifle

"Where did she come from?" Martha asked.

"From me, well me and the Stone." He glanced at her, "Cells from your hand were still on mine when they took tissue samples, again. Just like with the Daleks."

"From you two?" Donna frowned not understanding what was going on. "How? Who is she?"

"Well..." the Doctor swallowed. "she's, well, she's our daughter." He looked at Rita who had become paler than normal.

"Hello, Mum, Dad." She beamed the two Time Lords looked slightly sickened Rita more so than the Doctor.

"You primed to take orders?" The soldier asked. "Ready to fight?"

"Instant mental download of all strategic and military protocols, sir." The woman informed. "Generation five thousand soldiers primed and in peak physical health. Oh, I'm ready."

"Did you say, daughter?" Donna raised a brow at the two of them.

"Mmm. Technically." The Doctor hummed.

"Technically how?"

"I'm assuming it's meant to be progenation." Rita explained. "Reproduction from a single organism. Means one parent is biological mother and father."

"You take a sample of diploid cells, split them into haploids, then recombine them in a different arrangement and grow. Very quickly, apparently, however, the Stone's cells got on my hand before they took tissue samples meaning it used both of our cells." He added.

"Something's coming." The woman looked seeing shadows in the tunnel as they came into view fish like people started firing.

"It's the Hath!" The soldier shouted.

"Get down!" The woman shouted. The Doctor having a tight grip on Rita's hand pulled her down to cover Donna with them. They hid as the shooting continued Rita tightly squeezing her eyes not believing or wanting to accept what just happened, her children died in the Time War along with her parents and the rest of her family. The only one she felt and properly at home with now was the Doctor, she wasn't going to accept a woman they had forced from the soldiers practically black mailing the Doctor.

"We have to blow the tunnel!" The soldier shouted. "Get the detonator."

"I'm not detonating anything!" The Doctor shouted back going to help a wounded soldier. The Hath then breached the barricade and grabbed Martha who was screaming through the Haths hand that covered her mouth.

The woman kicked one of the Hath in the stomach. "Blow the thing!" The man shouted. "Blow the thing!"

"Martha!" The Time Lords screamed. "No. Don't!"

The woman hit the button and the group ran the Doctor grabbing Rita not losing her next. They sprinted around a corner before the explosion threw them to the ground. Gritting her teeth out of anger Rita stood up and stormed over to the woman.

"You've sealed off the tunnel! Our friend was taken by them!" She screamed.

"Why did you do that!?" The Doctor glared at her taking Rita's hand.

"They were trying to kill us." She protested.

"But they've got our friend." The Doctor remarked angrily.

"Collateral damage." She bluntly replied. "At least you've still got them." She nodded at the Doctor then Donna. "He lost both his men. I'd say you came out ahead." The Doctor took Rita's hand running his thumb on the back of her hand trying to calm her knowing that being angry wouldn't help them at all.

"Her name's Martha." Donna snapped. "And she's not collateral damage, not for anyone. Have you got that, GI Jane?"

"We're going to find her." The Doctor started to walk off with Rita, the soldier from before cocked his gun pointing it at the Doctors back.

"You're going nowhere." He said then pointing it at Rita. "You don't make sense, you three. No guns, no marks, no fight in you. I'm taking you to General Cobb." He jerked the gun at them showing that he was being serious. "Now, move."

The Doctor and Rita walked in front down the tunnels, the Time Lady clearly annoyed with the whole situation making her hurt emotions into anger.

"I'm Donna. What's you name?" The red head spoke up.

"Don't know." She shrugged. "It's not been assigned."

"Well, if you don't know that, what do you know?" Donna asked.

"How to fight."

 _'Great'_ Rita rolled her eyes.

"Nothing else?"

"The machine must embed military history and tactics, but no name." The Doctor explained. "She's a generated anomaly." Rita hummed in agreement with him.

"Generated anomaly," Donna muttered in thought. "Generated. Well, what about that?" She asked. "Jenny."

"Jenny." She repeated the red head then nodded. "Yeah, I like that. Jenny."

"What do you think, _Mum_ , _dad_?" Donna raised a brow seeing them clearly annoyed.

"Good as anything, I suppose." The Doctor shrugged.

"Please Donna not now," Rita begged the woman to not start.

"Not what you'd call natural parents, are you?" She asked them.

"They stole a tissue sample at gunpoint and processed it." He snapped turning to her. "It's not what I call natural parenting."

"Rubbish." Donna scoffed. "My friend Nerys fathered twins with a turkey baster. Don't bother her."

"Donna you can't extrapolate a relationship from a biological accident." Rita protested not wanting to discuss or talk about the topic any further.

"Er, Child Support Agency can."

"Look, just because I share certain physiological traits with simian primates doesn't make me a monkey's uncle, does it?" The Doctor snapped taking Rita's hand and storming off following the soldier from before.

"I'm not a monkey," Jenny said offended follow them. "Or a child."

The Doctor, Rita, Donna and Jenny were taken to a room with a slightly domed room with more of the machines from earlier scattered around with multiple beds and people standing around.

"So, where are we?" The Doctor asked. "What planet's this?"

"Messaline." The soldier replied. "Well, what's left of it."

"Six six three seventy-five deceased. Generation six six seven one, extinct. Generation six six seven two, forty-six deceased. Generation six six eight zero, fourteen deceased. Generation six..." the Tannoy informed.

"But this is a theatre." Donna looked around.

"Maybe they're doing Miss Saigon." The Doctor shrugged.

"It's like a town or a city underground. But why?"

They noticed a man with a white trimmed beard who looked to be in his early 50's approached the Doctor. "General Cobb, I presume." The Doctor nodded.

"Found in the western tunnels, I'm told, with no marks." He replied. "There was an outbreak of pacifism in the eastern zone three generations back before we lost contact. Is that where you came from?"

"Eastern zone, that's us, yeah. Yeah. I'm The Doctor, this is the Stone and that's Donna." they waved.

"And I'm Jenny." The young blonde spoke up.

"Don't think you can infect us with your peacemaking." Cobb narrowed his eyes at the Doctor and Rita. "We're committed to the fight, to the very end."

"Well, that's all right. We can't stay, anyway. Got to go and find our friend." He smiled.

"That's not possible. All movement is regulated." He said. "We're at war."

"Yeah, we noticed, got caught up in your gunfire with the Hath, they took one of our friends."

"But tell me, because we got a bit out of circulation, eastern zone and all that." The Doctor added. "So who exactly are the Hath?"

"Back at the dawn of this planet, these ancient halls were carved from the earth." Cobb started to explain. "Our ancestors dreamt of a new beginning. A colony where human and Hath would work and live together."

"So what happened?"

"The dream died. Broken, along with Hath promises. They wanted it all for themselves. But those early pioneers, they fought back. They used the machines to produce soldiers instead of colonists, and began this battle for survival."

Donna frowned speaking up as she peered out of the gap in a boarded up window. "There's nothing but earth outside, why's that?" She asked over her shoulder. "Why build everything underground?"

"The surface is too dangerous."

"Well, then why build windows in the first place?" She asked then pointed at a group of numbers above the window. "And what does this mean?"

"The rites and symbols of our ancestors. The meaning's lost in time."

"How long's this war gone on for?"

"Longer than anyone can remember. Countless generations marked only by the dead." He sadly replied.

"What, fighting all this time?" Donna looked at him.

"Because we must." Jenny interrupted. "Every child of the machine is born with this knowledge. It's our inheritance. It's all we know. How to fight, and how to die."

"Great," Rita muttered.

The Doctor had his glasses on looking at a sort of map with Rita something Cobb had shown them. "Does this show the entire city, including the Hath zones?"

"Yes. Why?" He questioned.

"Well, it'll help us find Martha."

"We've more important things to do," Cobb stated. "The progenation machines are powered down for the night shift, but soon as they're active, we could breed a whole platoon from you three."

"I'm not having sons and daughters by some great big flipping machine." Donna hissed. "Sorry, no offence, but you're not." She looked over at Jenny. "Well, I mean, you're not real."

"You're no better than them." She snapped. "I have a body, I have a mind, I have independent thought. How am I not real?" She asked. "What makes you better than me?"

"Well said, soldier." Cobb nodded. "We need more like you if ever we're to find the Source."

"Ooo, the Source." The Doctor looked up. "What's that, then? What's a Source? I like a Source."

"I prefer ketchup." Rita laughed the Doctor joining in. The two forced themselves to stop after Donna, Cobb and Jenny started giving them both an odd look. Rita coughed lightly. "What is it?"

"The Breath of Life."

"And that would be..?" The Doctor questioned.

"In the beginning, the great one breathed life into the universe. And then she looked at what she'd done, and she sighed."

"She," Jenny spoke up nodding. "I like that."

"Right. So it's a creation myth." The Doctor shot the story down.

"It's not myth." He protested. "It's real. That sigh. From the beginning of time, it was caught and kept as the Source." Said Cobb. "It was lost when the war started. But it's here, somewhere. Whoever holds the Source controls the destiny of the planet."

The Doctor flashed his sonic at the map. "Ah! I thought so." He leant in slightly. "There's a suppressed layer of information in this map." He pointed at it. "If I can just..." Rita beat him to it using her sonic and showing more tunnels. The Doctor looked at her pouting slightly.

"Sorry sweetheart." She smirked at him. "Maybe if you didn't talk so much you would have beat me to it."

"What is it, what's it mean?" Donna interrupted them both.

"See?" The Doctor pointed. "A whole complex of tunnels hidden from sight."

"That must be the lost temple," Cobb said looking at the map. "The Source will be inside. You've shown us the way." He looked at the Time Lords. "And look, we're closer than the Hath. It's ours."

Cobb turned to the soldier. "Tell them to prepare to move out. We'll progenate new soldiers on the morning shift, then we march." He explained. "Once we reach the Temple, peace will be restored at long last."

"Er, call us old-fashioned, but if you really wanted peace, couldn't you just stop fighting?"

"Only when we have the Source. It'll give us the power to erase every stinking Hath from the face of this planet." He spat their name.

"Hang on, hang on." The Doctor stopped him. "A second ago it was peace in our time. Now you're talking about genocide."

"For us, that means the same thing."

"Then you need to get yourself a better dictionary. When you do, look up genocide. You'll see a little picture of us there, and the caption will read, over our dead bodies!" He shouted gesturing to himself and Rita.

"And you're the two who showed us the path to victory. But you can consider the irony from your prison cell. Cline, at arms." He ordered the soldier raised his gun.

"Oi, oi, oi." Donna hissed while the Doctor stepped in front of Rita and Donna. "All right. Cool the beans, Rambo."

"Take them. I won't have them spreading treason." Cobb glared at them. "And if you try anything, Doctor, I'll see that your woman dies first." He looked over at Donna. Rita snorted still not understanding why everyone thought they were together.

"No, we're," the Doctor shook his head, "we're not a couple."

"I am not his woman," Donna said looking slightly ill.

"That would be me." Rita raised her hand wiggling her fingers the ring on her hand sparkling ever so slightly. "See?" She said the Doctor grinning widely at how happy she looked.

"Come on." Cobb groaned. "This way."

"I'm going to stop you, Cobb. You need to know that."

"I have an army and the Breath of God on my side, Doctor. What'll you have?"

"The Stone." He looked over at her the both of them nodding. "And this." They both lightly tapped their temples.

"Lock them up and guard them," Cobb ordered.

"What about the new soldier?"

"Can't trust her. She's from pacifist stock. Take them all." He pushed Jenny over, the Doctor and Rita stopping her from falling over.

"More numbers," Donna muttered looking at another line of random numbers. "They've got to mean something."

"Makes as much sense as the Breath of Life story." The Doctor muttered sitting down Rita next to him nodding.

"You mean that's not true?" Jenny asked.

"No, it's a myth. Isn't it, Doctor, Stone?"

"Yes, but there could still be something real in that temple." He said. "Something that's become a myth. A piece of technology, a weapon."

"So the Source could be a weapon and we've just given directions to Captain Nutjob?" Donna asked.

"I'm afraid we have." Rita sighed running a hand through her hair.

"Not good, is it?"

"That's why we need to get out of here, find Martha and stop Cobb from slaughtering the Hath." The Doctor said.

"There has got to be more to it than what Cobb makes it out to be." Rita frowned. The Doctor looked up frowning.

"What... what are you..." He looked at Jenny, "what are you... what are you staring at?"

"You two keep insisting you're not soldiers, but look at you both, drawing up strategies like proper generals."

"No, no." The Time Lords shook their heads. "We're trying to stop the fighting."

"Isn't every soldier?" She asked.

"Well..." he looked at Rita for help.

"I suppose..." she trailed off. "Doctor?"

"But that's... that's... Technically..." he stuttered. "We don't have time for this." He groaned. "Donna, give me your phone. Time for an upgrade."

"And now you've got a weapon." She nodded at his sonic.

"It's not a weapon." He protested flashing his sonic at the phone.

"But you're using it to fight back." She retorted. "I'm going to learn so much from you two. You are such soldiers."

"Donna, will you tell her?" The Doctor said seeing that Rita was very quiet most likely thinking.

"Oh, you two are speechless." Donna laughed. "I'm loving this. You keep on, Jenny."

Rita groaned resting her head on the Doctors shoulder.

The Doctor continued to sonic at the red heads phone. _"You okay?"_

 _"I keep thinking about my children, I failed to keep safe."_

 _"It's not your fault."_ He told her. _"You were made to leave them, you couldn't do anything about it."_

Sighing she didn't reply. The Doctor finished with the phone and dialled Martha's number. "Doctor, Stone?"

"Martha!" The Time Lords jumped up smiling. "You're alive!"

"Doctor, Stone! Oh, am I glad to hear your voices. Are you both all right?" She asked.

"We're with Donna." He said. "We're fine. What about you?"

"And, and Jenny," Donna spoke up. "She's fine too."

"Yes, all right." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "And, and Jenny. That's the woman from the machine. The soldier. Mine and the Stones daughter, except she isn't, she's... she's."

"Anyway." Rita cut in saving him from trying to explain himself, "where are you?"

"I'm in the Hath camp." She explained. "I'm okay, but something's going on. The Hath are all marching off to some place that's appeared on this map thing."

"Oh, that was the Stone and I." The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "If both armies are heading that way, there's going to be a bloodbath."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just stay where you are, if you're safe there, don't move, do you hear?"

"But I can help." She protested just before the call cut off.

"To war!" They heard soldiers shout from outside in the corridors.

"They're getting ready to move out. We have to get past that guard." The Doctor said.

"I can deal with him."

"No, no, no, no. The Doctor and Rita pulled her back. "You're not going anywhere."

"What?" She frowned at them.

"You belong here with them." The Doctor told her.

"She belongs with us." Donna protested. "With you, the both of you." She looked between the Doctor and Rita. "She's your daughter."

"She's a soldier." Rita protested angrily. "Not my child."

"She came out of that machine." The Doctor added.

"Oh yes, I know that bit. Listen, have you got that stethoscope?" She asked. The Doctor groaned as he brought it out. "Give it to me. Come on."

Stepping back Donna moved over to Jenny holding the stethoscope.

"What are you doing?" She frowned.

"It's all right," Donna reassured her. "Just hold still." She placed it on her chest listening for a moment Rita rolled her eyes she would most likely find one heart or should, Time Lords grew another heart after their first regeneration a very painful process, from Rita's experience it was anyway. But there was the small chance if she was a sort of clone... thing or 'real'. Jenny could possibly have two hearts.

"Doctor come here." She gestured him over. "Listen, and then tell me where she belongs."

The Doctor listened raising a brow and looking at Rita shallowly swallowing. "Two hearts." He looked at her, she moved over beside him and listened herself then looked at him slightly terrified, the Doctor saw a glimmer of hope in her eye.

"Two hearts." She quietly murmured to herself as if saying it aloud would make it more real.

"Exactly." Donna slowly nodded.

Not understanding what was going on Jenny frowned glancing at the Doctor then Rita. "What's going on?"

"Does that mean she's a Time Lady?" Donna asked after Rita explained the difference between the difference between a Time Lord and a Time Lady a couple of weeks ago.

"What's a Time Lady?"

"Time Lord." The Doctor muttered. "It's what we are. The Stone and I, where we're from."

"Time Lady is the what female Time Lords sometimes call themselves. Normally if there is more than one it would be Time Lords." Rita softly explained.

"And I'm from you two."

"You're an echo, that's all." The Doctor said Rita slowly nodded. "A Time Lord is so much more." He took Rita's hand. "A sum of knowledge, a code, a shared history, a shared suffering. Only it's gone now, all of it." He looked at Rita sadly. "Gone forever."

"What happened?"

"There was a war."

"Like this one?"

The Doctor and Rita chuckled lightly shaking their heads. "Bigger. Much bigger."

"And you fought, and killed?" She asked the Doctor, Rita gently squeezing his hand.

"Yes."

"And you...?" She looked at Rita.

"No." She shook her head. "I was forced to make the weapons, guns, ammunition the lot."

Jenny looked between the Time Lords. "Then how are we different?"

 _"Sweetheart maybe they're right,"_ Rita whispered telepathically to him, maybe she was their daughter, maybe Rita didn't believe because what happened to her children before and she couldn't face it happening again. The Doctor said it himself, it wasn't her fault for what happened. So why couldn't Jenny be their daughter? The Doctor sighed not answering and taking her hand. "We need to get out of this cell first."

"I got an idea." Jenny piped up. Rita and the Doctor raised a brow at her for the young blonde to go on and explain her idea. "You three stay behind that wall." She whispered pointing at the wall you couldn't see from outside the cell. Frowning a little the Doctor somewhat agreed moving over to the wall with Rita, Donna behind them.

"Hey." Jenny walked up to Cline who stood with his back to the cell.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you. I'm on duty." He replied turning around.

"I know." She grinned. "Guarding me. So, does that mean I'm dangerous, or that I need protecting?"

"Protecting from what?" He frowned.

"Oh, I don't know." She innocently shrugged. "Men like you?" She then pulled him in for a kiss while grabbing his gun pointing it at his stomach. "Keep quiet and open the door."

"I'd like to see you try that." Donna joked whispering to the Doctor.

"Mother like daughter?" The Doctor joked glancing over at Rita raising a brow.

"That was one time." She sternly pointed at him. "And you were the one who came up with that idea."

"You followed it."

"Shut up." She muttered, the Doctor smirked as she groaned quietly moving out into the corridor.

The Doctor became serious looking past the wall seeing a guard down the stairs. "That's the way out."

Jenny raised a pistol. The Doctor took it away the moment he saw it. "Don't you dare."

Donna stepped forward flicking hair out of her face. "Let me distract this one. I have picked up a few womanly wiles over the years."

The Doctor looked at her slightly disgusted. "Let's save your wiles for later. In case of emergency." He then started to rummage around in his coat pocket. Rita started to chuckle and held up what he was looking for. "How?"

"I got bored. It's really easy to steal things from you without you noticing." She smirked starting to wind up the clockwork mouse.

"How did you discover that?" She asked.

"As if I was going to sit around listening to my parents tell me what to do all day, causing as much trouble as I could when I was younger was only half of the things I got up to before I met you." She shook her head. "It was quite amusing to see their faces when I had my father's tools."

"And to this day I still learn things about you Stone." He shook his head amusingly at her.

"Same with you sweetheart." She grinned then placed the clockwork mouse on the floor. They watched as it rolled out, the guard heard it and turned around picking it up before falling to the floor after Jenny karate chopped him from behind.

Angrily the Doctor picked up the mouse pointing it at her. "I was going to distract him, not clobber him."

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" She shrugged.

"It did work even if I disagree with the violence."

"Stone please don't start taking sides." He groaned at her rubbing his forehead.

"But it's so much fun." She pouted. The Doctor gave her a look wiping the pout away she rolled her eyes. "I'm joking, Jenny stay there and don't hurt anyone." She shook her head following the Doctor.

After figuring out where they were going they headed through the corridors and tunnels.

"Wait." The Doctor and Rita sharply stopped. "This is it." He looked at the map in his hand. "The hidden tunnel. There must be a control panel."

"It's another one of those numbers." Donna frowned looking at the numbers on the wall. "They're everywhere."

"The original builders must have left them."

"Must be some sort of old cataloguing system," Rita added

"You got a pen?" Donna asked. "Bit of paper? Because, do you see, the numbers are counting down." She pointed out. "This one ends in one four. The prison cell said one six."

"Always thinking, you three. Who are you, people?"

"I told you. I'm the Doctor."

"And I'm the Stone."

"The Doctor and the Stone." She frowned. "That's it?"

"That's all they ever say." Donna shrugged.

"So, you two don't have a name either?" She looked between them. "Are you anomalies, too?"

"No." The Doctor replied.

"Oh, come off it." Donna scoffed. "You're the most anomalous bloke I've ever met."

Rita smirked. "He has his moments." She joined the Doctor helping him open the control panel.

"Here it is."

"And Time Lords. What are they for, exactly?"

"For?" The Doctor and Rita looked up. "They're not... They're not for anything."

"So what do you two do?"

"The Stone and I travel through time and space."

"They save planets, rescues civilisations, defeats terrible creatures," Donna explained. "And they run a lot. Seriously, there's an outrageous amount of running involved."

"Got it!" The Doctor and Rita exclaimed as the door slid open.

"Squad five, with me." They heard Cobb not far behind them. The Doctor took Rita's hand and raised a brow at Donna. "Now, what were you saying about running?" Rita laughed shaking her head as they took off running through the passage way. They came to a halt just before an array of laser beams crossing over each other blocking the next passageway.

"That's not mood lighting, is it?" The Doctor reached into his pocket again and groaned his eyes shifting to the Time Lady standing there grinning with the clockwork mouse in her hand. "Sorry Sweetheart it seems I just found out that this body enjoys causing slight trouble."

"When don't you enjoy causing trouble in general?"

"Not the point Doctor." She tossed the clockwork mouse into the direction of lasers and watched the mouse become slight dust.

"No, I didn't think so," Donna muttered.

"Arming device." The Doctor spotted. He and Rita moved over starting to work on the blue box.

"There's more of these." Donna pointed to more of the numbers. "Always eight numbers, counting down the closer we get."

The Doctor beamed opening the box. "Right, here we go."

"You'd better be quick."

"Corridor." They heard Cobb.

"The General." Jenny went to move the Doctor spun around stopping her in her tracks.

"Where are you going?"

"I can hold them up."

"No, we don't need any more dead." The Doctor shook his head.

"But it's them or us." She protested.

"Jenny it doesn't mean you have to kill them please."

"I'm trying to save your lives." She protested.

"Listen to us." He held her shoulders. "The killing. After a while, it infects you. And once it does, you're never rid of it."

"We don't have a choice."

The Doctor and Rita looked at her deadly serious. "We always have a choice."

"I'm sorry." She looked at them sadly running off in the direction of the voices.

"Jenny." They both watched shaking their heads.

The Doctor started to sonic at the box. "This door, now." They heard the soldiers shouted. Rita glanced back at the door her mind racing trying to decide what to do. "Doctor stay here." She pulled him into a hug as he blinked in confusion, his eyes widening as she started to sprint away, he grabbed her wrist shaking his head. "She's a soldier leave her."

"Doctor she is barely an adult." Rita sternly told him. "She shouldn't be near a weapon no matter who she is. I'm going to stop her from making a mistake, please get that thing open for when I am dragging her back here."

"But you could get shot!" He protested grabbing her shoulders.

"Sweetheart may I remind you that I have been shot before." She kissed him quickly before running off to save the young blonde from making a horrible mistake.


	18. The Doctor and the Stone's Daughter -Two

**I am not responsible for any tears you may shed in this chapter.**

 **I'm warning you now.**

"Fire!" Rita heard the cries of the soldiers as she dived for cover somehow managing to crawl safely to Jenny who was exchanging gunfire with Cobb.

"Jenny!" Rita shouted crawling up beside her.

"Mum?"

"Jenny whether you actually are my daughter or not come with us, please your making a mistake, killing is horrible... I should know." She swallowed hard. "Please don't make the same mistake Time Lord or not you are clever and I know it. Make the right choice."

"I'm trying to help you!" She protested continuing to fire her weapon, helplessly Rita watched before hearing the Doctor shouted.

"Stone, Jenny, come on!" He shouted.

"We're coming!" Jenny shouted.

"Be there in a moment Doctor!" Rita shouted over her shoulder then turned to Jenny under cover. "Please make the right choice."

"Cease fire. Cease fire." They heard Cobb call.

"Stone!" The Doctor shouted. Jenny then stood up pointing her gun at Cobb.

"You're a child of the machine." He said to her calmly. "You're on my side. Join us. Join us in the war against the Hath. It's in your blood, girl. Don't deny it."

"Jenny don't," Rita warned cautiously standing up. Seeing the girl's eyes flicker upwards she grinned as Jenny fired at a steam pipe above Cobb, Rita then grabbed her running back.

"Stone, Jenny, come on!" The Doctor shouted. "That's it."

"Hurry up!" Donna shouted.

"No, no, no, no, no, no." The Doctor groaned. "The circuit's looped back."

"Zap it back again." Donna shouted.

"The controls are back there." He nodded at the blue box.

"And it would take too long to reset." Rita groaned running a hand through her hair.

"They're coming." Jenny heard the voices getting louder.

"Wait. Just." The Doctor worryingly looked at Rita unable to do anything to help. "Stone, there isn't... Jenny, I can't"

"Oh, it's been a long time," Rita muttered pacing back and forth. "Too long, but it's the only way..." she muttered to herself again then reached into her pocket bringing out a hair band. "Oh, I hate putting my hair up." She groaned. "Jenny lets see where you really belong." She said standing on the left. Jenny raised a brow at her.

"You mean..." her voice trailed off at Rita raised her brows nodding slightly.

"I haven't done this in a long, long time."

Jenny grinned looking at the Doctor. "Watch and learn, Father." The two then stepped back slightly before doing a series of somersaults and flips through the beams dodging them all, the Doctors mouth gaped open at the sight of both the blonde's side by side as Donna breathed "No way." They finally finished at the end standing in front of the gaping Doctor and Donna gracefully finishing in front of them both. "But that was impossible."

"Not impossible." The Doctor broke out into a wide grin. "Just a bit unlikely." He tightly hugged Rita laughing as Rita and Jenny started to laugh along with them. "Brilliant! You were brilliant the both of you absolutely Brilliant!" He quickly kissed Rita then hugged Jenny beaming the Doctor and Rita seeming to accept the situation and that Jenny was their daughter.

"I didn't kill him." She told the Doctor joyfully. "General Cobb, I could have killed him but I didn't. You were both right. I had a choice."

They looked over their shoulder seeing Cobb and the soldiers appear at the other side, Jenny and Donna both ran while the Doctor took Rita's hand staring Cobb down.

"At arms."

"We warned you, Cobb. If the Source is a weapon, we're going to make sure you never use it." The Doctor glared at the man.

"One of us is going to die today and it won't be me." He said as the soldier began to fire. The Doctor and Rita ducked into the hallway escaping the bullets.

"Where did you learn to do that?" The Doctor gaped at Rita.

"My parents knew I was clever, they didn't like that I was cleverer than them at one point and wanted me to know how to fight for the Time War." She said. "Let's just say that their plan didn't work." She winked at him as they ran after Donna and Jenny.

"So, you travel together, but you're not 'together'?" Jenny asked Donna clearly seeing that her parents were most definitely together with how close they were. But what was Donna?

"What?" Her eyes almost popped out at the comment. "No. No. No way." She said waving her hands. "No, no, we're friends, that's all." She looked slightly sick. "I mean, we're not even the same species. There's probably laws against it..."

"Well one of the Doctors previous companions, Leela married a Time Lord called Andred, of course, many disagreed but everything worked out and they were happy." Rita cut in.

"If you're not together then..." Jenny trailed off looking between her parents. "Are you two...?"

"We're engaged." The Doctor broke out into a wide smile. "Just before we came here." He grinned at the Time Lady beside him.

"Ah yeah." She hummed in thought. "Not our finest hour." She chuckled. "We wouldn't be here without Martha." Rita gave Jenny a pointed look. "'Collateral damage'" she quoted the young blonde who looked at her slightly guilty. "Martha made me admit my feelings towards the Doctor." The Time Lady nodded in thought the Doctor slightly nodding in somewhat of an agreement with her statement.

"And what's it like, the travelling?" Jenny questioned Donna.

"Oh, never a dull moment." Donna nodded. "It can be terrifying, brilliant and funny, sometimes all at the same time. I've seen some amazing things though. Whole new worlds."

"Oh, I'd love to see new worlds," Jenny said in awe.

"You will." The redhead nodded at her. "Won't she, Doctor, Stone?"

"Hmm?" They both turned around.

"Do you think Jenny will see any new worlds?"

"Doctor?" Rita raised a brow at him. "It is your TARDIS after all."

"Now you know that's not true." He softly smiled at her. "But I suppose so."

"You mean." She blinked at them. "You mean you'll take me with you?"

"Well, we can't leave you here, can we?" He smiled at her.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." She ran up hugging them both. "Come on, let's get a move on."

"Careful, there might be traps." The Doctor warned quietly groaning as she ran off.

"Kids. They never listen." Donna shook her head then glanced at the Doctor his face looking slightly cold, hurt and distance. Rita worryingly looked at him slowly placing her hand in his. "Oh, I know that look." Donna looked at him. "I see it a lot round our way. Blokes with pushchairs and frowns. You've got dad-shock."

"Dad-shock?" The Doctor frowned at her.

"Sudden unexpected fatherhood. Take a bit of getting used to."

"No, it's not that." He shook his head continuing to look straight on. Not even glancing at the Time Lady beside him.

"Well, what is it then?" She asked. "Having Jenny in the TARDIS, is that it?" She raised a brow. "What's she going to do, cramp your style?" She joked. "Like you've got a sports car and she's going to turn it into a people-carrier?" She added slight humour not seeing the clear look on his face, one Rita had witnessed too many times. Gently she squeezed his hand knowing how sensitive he was about the topic. She didn't blame him for it at all, but he blamed himself from time to time even when she repeatedly told him it wasn't his fault.

"Donna, I've been a father before." He softly replied.

"What?" Donna blinked confusedly. "But I thought you two...?" She looked between the Time Lords.

"Not me Donna." Rita shook her head the Doctor then continued to speak his voice sounding hurt and lost.

"I lost all that a long time ago..." he breathed the Time Lady ran her thumb along his knuckles. "Along with everything else." Rita slowly shook her head.

"I'm sorry." Donna sadly replied not looking at either Time Lords. "I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me? You talk all the time, but you don't say anything."

"I know." He looked saddened. "I just... When I look at her now, I can see them...The hole they left, all the pain that filled it... I just don't know if I can face that every day."

"Oh, sweetheart." Rita moved his arm so it was over her shoulder allowing her too tightly hug him to give some comfort seeing him extremely hurt.

"It won't stay like that," Donna promised. "The Stone will help you like she always does, Jenny will help you as well. The three of us will."

"But when they died, that part of me died with them." He swallowed hard forcing back tears. "It'll never come back. Not now."

"I tell you something, Doctor. Something I've never told you before." Donna looked at him. "I think you're wrong."

They looked up hearing gun and seeing Jenny running back. "They've blasted through the beams." She broke out into a smile. "Time to run again. Love the running. Yeah?" She asked.

The Doctor smiled glancing at the Time Lady beside him her softly smiling at him. "Love the running." They both replied the Doctor taking Rita's hand and running with her and Jenny, Donna slightly behind them.

"We're trapped." The red head gasped as the four skidded to a stop.

"Can't be." The Doctor frowned. "This must be the Temple." He looked around, Rita moved up to what she guessed was a door. "This is a door." She grinned starting to scan it.

"And again," Donna spoke over to two Time Lords mumbling to each other, trying to open the door before Cobb and his soldiers arrived. "We're down to one two now"

"We've got it!" The Doctor beamed.

"I can hear them," Jenny called over her shoulder watching to see when the soldiers would arrive. "Nearly done." The Doctor and Rita muttered.

"These can't be a cataloguing system," Donna mumbled to herself noting down the numbers in the line on the wall.

"They're getting closer," Jenny warned.

"Then you really should get back here Jenny." Rita looked up giving her a look of warning.

"They're too similar," Donna muttered. "Too familiar."

"Not yet." The young blonde protested.

"Jenny." Rita gave her a pointed look before the Doctor shouted breaking the glares the two blondes were giving each other something that made the Older Time Lady blink at remembering having glares like that with her own mother as well as her two daughters. After the door opened the Doctor pulled Rita through looking at her slightly worried seeing that she had paled slightly. _"Rita..?"_

 _"I'm fine."_ She shook her head at him taking his hand holding it a little too tightly worrying him even more than before.

"They're coming," Jenny said looking through the door seeing Cobb appear. "Close the door." The Doctor soniced it shut then turned to the Time Lady. "Stone what's wrong."

"I'm fine." She rolled her eyes at him, the Doctor raised her brows at him. "I'll tell you later." She muttered quietly to him. Nodding satisfied with her answer he went to look around as Jenny interrupted them.

"Oh, that was close."

"No fun otherwise." The Doctor remarked earning a chuckle from both the blondes he smiled seeing Rita slightly happier.

"It's not what I'd call a temple," Donna commented looking around the mechanical area with steam and buzzing sounds slightly echoing from further in. "It looks more like..."

"Fusion drive transport." The Doctor cut in.

"It's a spaceship," Rita stated.

"What, the original one?" Donna frowned. "The one the first colonists arrived in?"

"Well, it could be," the Doctor shrugged.

"But the power cells would have run down after all that time." Rita hummed looking about.

"This one's still powered-up and functioning." The Doctor added taking Rita's hand again. "Come on." He lead the way up the flight of stairs. They stopped seeing that someone was halfway through cutting through another door.

"It's the Hath," Jenny told them. "That door's not going to last much longer. And if General Cobb gets through down there, war's going to break out."

The Doctor quickly moved away from the others following as he saw a monitor. "Look, look, look, look, look."

"Ths ship's log." Rita started to scroll through as the Doctor read off the screen. "First wave of Human/Hath co-colonisation of planet Messaline."

"So it is the original ship." Jenny guessed Rita nodded at her while Donna frowned.

"What happened?"

"Phase one, construction. They used robot drones to build the city."

"But does it mention the war?" Rita looked back at the screen continuing to scroll through.

"Mission commander dead." He read. "Still no agreement on who should assume leadership. Hath and humans have divided into factions."

"That must be it." Rita looked at him.

"A power vacuum. The crew divided into two factions and turned on each other. Start using the progenation machines, suddenly you've got two armies fighting a never-ending war."

"Two armies who are now both outside."

"Look at that." Donna looked at the numbers above a large screen showing the planet.

"It's like the numbers in the tunnels."

"No Doctor." Rita shook her head. "Donna has been noting them all down, you may have not been paying attention." She crossed her arms. "But I have, Donna what do you think it is?"

"I spent six months working as a temp in Hounslow Library, and I mastered the Dewey Decimal System in two days flat," Donna said. "I'm good with numbers."

"Careful with that ego, almost as big as the Doctors." Rita joked making the red head harrow her eyes at the Time Lady who held up her hands in defence. "It's staring us in the face." She then continued.

"What is?" Jenny asked.

"It's the date. Assuming the first two numbers are some big old space date, then you've got year, month, day." Donna pointed to them. "It's the other way round, like it is in America."

"Oh!" The Doctor hit his head as Rita spun around the both of them exclaiming. "It's the New Byzantine Calendar."

"The codes are completion dates for each section." Donna continued. "They finish it, they stamp the date on. So the numbers aren't counting down, they're going out from here, day by day, as the city got built."

"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "Oh, good work, Donna."

"Yeah. But you're still not getting it." She pointed at him. "The first number I saw back there, was sixty twelve oh seven seventeen. Well, look at the date today."

The Doctor looked at the date on the clock. "Oh, seven twenty-four." He paused staring at it. "No."

"What does it mean?"

"Seven days," Rita answered.

"That's it." Donna nodded. "Seven days."

"Just seven days."

"What do you mean, seven days?" Jenny asked the Doctor then looked at Rita.

"Seven days since war broke out." The Doctor replied.

"This war started seven days ago." Donna breathed. "Just a week. A week!"

"They said years." Jenny frowned at Donna.

"No, they said generations." The red head corrected. "And if they're all like you, and they're products of those machines..."

"They could have twenty generations in a day." The Doctor cut in.

"Each generation gets killed in the war, passes on the legend." Rita finished.

"Oh, Donna, you're a genius." The Time Lords beamed at the red head squeezing her into a hug.

"But all the buildings, the encampments. They're in ruins."

"No, they're not ruined. They're just empty. Waiting to be populated. Oh, they've mythologised their entire history. The Source must be part of that too." The Doctor guessed. They froze hearing footsteps the Doctor poked his head around a corner to see his and the Time Lady old friend.

"Martha!" They both broke out into broad smiles having found her again the three of them, laughing and hugging.

"Doctor, Stone!"

"Martha! Oh, we should have known you wouldn't stay away from the excitement." The Doctor laughed once more.

"Donna." The two other companions hugged.

"Oh, you're filthy." The red head frowned. "What happened?"

"I, er, took the surface route." She sheepishly pointed upwards.

"Positions." They heard Cobb in the distance.

"That's the General." The Doctor groaned. "We haven't got much time."

"We don't even know what we're looking for," Donna said.

Martha froze for a moment sniffing the air. "Is it me, or can you smell flowers?"

"Maintain defensive positions."

"No I can smell that too..." the Time Lady sniffed then muttered aloud with the Doctor, "Bougainvillea."

"I say we follow our nose." He said taking the Time Lady's hand and leading the way.

"Squads seven to ten, advance. With me."

"Oh, yes." The Doctor looked around his arm around the Time Lady's waist, the both of them enjoying the scenery of multiple plants and flowers in the area as they tried to find the source. "Yes. Isn't this brilliant?" He looked at the Time Lady who nodded chuckling ever so slightly until they walked up to a globe on a pedestal glowing multiple colours with wires running into the globe.

"Is that the Source?" Donna said looking at it.

"It's beautiful." Jenny breathed in awe.

Martha frowned not understanding. "What is it?"

"Terraforming," Rita replied.

"It's a third generation terraforming device." The Doctor added.

"So why are we suddenly in Kew Gardens?" Donna looked around not understanding what the device actually did.

"Because that's what it does. All this, only bigger." The Doctor explained. "Much bigger. It's in a transit state. Producing all this must help keep it stable before they finally..." he went to continue but the Hath then appeared as well as the soldiers the both of them pointing guns at the opposite site with the Doctor and Rita in the middle holding their hands out to either side not wanting the, to fire. "Stop!" The Doctor shouted. "Hold your fire!"

"What is this, some kind of trap?" Cobb hissed.

"You said you wanted this war over." The Doctor looked at him.

"I want this war won." He corrected his tone harsh and cold.

"But you can't win," Rita told him. "No one can."

"You don't even know why you're here." The Doctor cut in. "Your whole history, it's just Chinese whispers, getting more distorted the more it's passed on. This is the Source." He gestured to it. "This is what you're fighting over. A device to rejuvenate a planet's ecosystem. It's nothing mystical. It's from a laboratory, not some creator. It's a bubble of gases. A cocktail of stuff for accelerated evolution. Methane, hydrogen, ammonia, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids. It's used to make barren planets habitable. Look around you." He said while looking around at the beautiful Scenery. "It's not for killing, it's bringing life. If you allow it, it can lift you out of these dark tunnels and into the bright, bright sunlight. No more fighting, no more killing..." The Doctor picked up the globe. "I'm the Doctor, and I declare this war is over!" He shouted throwing the globe onto the floor and stepping back watching as the glass shattered and the energy was released freeing the gas and energy as it rose up. The soldiers and Hath then began to lower their weapons.

"What's happening?" Jenny asked stepping towards her parents.

"The gases will escape and trigger the terraforming process." The Doctor explained. Rita rolled her eyes knowing that the young blonde couldn't possibly understand what he meant.

"What does that mean?" She asked in awe.

"It means a new world." Rita smiled.

Suddenly Jenny shouted jumping in the way of the Doctor and Rita as an ear aching ring shot out. "No!"

The Young blonde stumbled back into both of their arms having taken a bullet to save them both. "Jenny!' Rita cried out clutching onto her swallowing thickly the Doctor and Rita gently laying her on the ground the two of them, taking her in their arms.

"Jenny?" The Doctor shakily spoke terrified for losing her after she only just came into the world and finally was accepted.

"Jenny please." The Time Lady begged tears she couldn't hold back slipping from her eyes.

"Talk to me, Jenny." The Doctor begged holding his own tears back.

"Is she going to be all right?" Donna softly asked Martha who slowly shook her head then stepped back taking the redhead with her, giving the three space.

Jenny looked up at both her parents in awe. "A new world. It's beautiful."

"Jenny please." Rita sobbed clutching her hands, her own shaking out of fear, fear that what happened before was happening all over again.

"Jenny, be strong now." The Doctor whispered running his thumb over her forehead to soothe her while Rita did the same running a hand up and down her arm trying to keep the blonde calm. "You need to hold on, do you hear me?" He begged his own voice cracking slightly. "We've got things to do, you, me and your mum, hey?" He said. "Hey? We can go anywhere. Everywhere. You choose." He continued to whisper.

"That sounds good." She nodded slowly.

"You're our daughter, and we've only just got started."

"You're going to be great." Rita smiled through the tears trying to keep the girl calm and relaxed.

"You're going to be more than great. You're going to be amazing just like your mother." The Doctor clutched the Time Lady's hand with his free one the both of them holding Jenny's body. "You hear me?" He said to her softly. The young blonde glanced between her parents before slowly closing her eyes. "Jenny?" They whispered before Rita broke out into more uncontrollable sobs the Doctor set Jenny down on the ground gently then took the heart broken Time Lady in his arms her head on his chest clutching onto her tightly not wanting to lose her either. The Doctors head shot up in hope starting at the two companions. "Two hearts." He muttered holding the violently shaking Time Lady. "Two hearts. She's like us." He tightened his grip on Rita. "If we wait. If we just wait."

Martha sadly shook her head gently not wanting to anger him. "There's no sign, Doctor. There is no regeneration. She's like the both of you, but maybe not enough."

"No." he shook his head looking down at the Time Lady who couldn't stop crying in his arms her tears dampening his suit jacket. "Too much. That's the truth of it. " he thickly swallowed starting to slowly rock back and forward not wanting to see her cry. "She was too much like us." Keeping her in his arms the Doctor gently leant down kissing Jenny's forehead then rubbed Rita's arm sniffing she gently turned kissing her daughters forehead where the Doctor did.

Suddenly the Doctors face grew cold with anger. Anger the Time Lady hadn't seen in a long time. Gently he left her sobbing beside Jenny as he stood up marching over to Cobb who was forced to kneel down by the soldiers. The Doctor without saying a word grabbed Cobbs pistol and pointed it at the man's head unclicking the safety and holding it there. Swallowing thickly her voice still showing signs of crying with more tears undoubtedly still to come the Time Lady took a shaky breath then whispered. "Doctor..." his face softened ever so slightly, she didn't want this and no doubt their daughter wouldn't either.

The Doctor clicked the safety back on and held the gun to Cobbs face. "I never would." He calm and coldly said. "Have you got that?" He asked snapping, making the man flinch. "I never would." He threw the gun away standing up and shouting at the soldiers and the Hath. "When you start this new world, this world of Human and Hath, remember that! Make the foundation of this society a man who never would!" He slowly moved back over taking the Time Lady in his arms one more the both of them hiding their faces in the crook of the others neck the Doctor now starting to slowly and quietly cry. The Time Lady sniffed and finally forced herself to stop now having to comfort him, he comforted her so now it was her turn to do the same. She gently rubbed his back keeping him with her the two of them ignoring the rest of the people and Hath watching them as she whispered comforting Gallifreyan words in his ear holding back her own tear as they both grieved.

The Doctor and Rita stood hand in hand at the end of the long table which had their child's body resting upon it. The two of them having sad yet unreadable looks on their faces as they lent against each other staring into nothingness broken over the loss. Martha, Donna, Cline and one of the Hath stood on either side of the table watching over her body.

Martha looked out as a bright light shone through the windows then looked at the two Time Lords her own face hurt by how saddened they truly looked, their faces not showing half of how they currently felt. "It's happening." Martha gently whispered to them both. "The terraforming."

"Build a city, nice and safe underground, strip away the top soil and there it is." Donna gently joined in. "And what about Jenny?"

Cline slowly moved forward looking at the Time Lords. "Let us give her a proper ceremony. I think it'd help us." He looked over at them. "Please." Swallowing thickly they glanced at each other their eyes showing all the words as they look back at Cline gently nodded.

"Jenny was the reason for the TARDIS bringing us here." The Doctor said the Time Lady in his arms once more not crying but just staring into nothingness in the TARDIS. "It just got here too soon, which then created Jenny in the first place. Paradox. An endless paradox." He sadly looked over at Martha who looked worried seeing the usually ecstatic. The Time Lady looked so sad and hurt. "Time to go home?"

"Yeah." She slowly nodded. "Home." The Doctor nodded moving around the TARDIS still keeping the Time Lady beside him as they started up the TARDIS all energy in how they normally piloted the machine disappeared only filled with hurt.

Donna and Martha left ahead as the Doctor grabbed his coat as well as the Time Lady the both of them helping each other in their coats before taking each other's hand and gently stepping out following the two down the street.

"Are you sure about this?" Donna softly asked her new friend.

"Yeah, positive." She gently nodded her head. "I can't do this anymore. You'll be the same one day."

"Not me." Donna smiled at her. "Never. How could I ever go back to normal life after seeing all this?" She asked earning a smile from Martha. "I'm going to travel with those two for ever."

Martha smiled having to give the red head a smile for her determination. "Good luck." They shared a hug saying their goodbyes.

"And you." Donna nodded slowly dropping back as the Doctor and Rita walked on with Martha.

"We're making a habit of this." The Doctor softly smiled at Martha who nodded in return.

"Yeah. And you'd think it'd get easier." She smiled a little then sighed. "All those things you've been ready to die for. I thought for a moment there you'd finally found something worth living for."

The Doctor glanced down at Rita's hand for a moment softly smiling as his eyes flickered up to her face as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Oh, there's always something worth living for, Martha." The Doctor and Martha then hugged smiling before letting go.

"Bye, Doctor."

"Goodbye. Doctor Jones." The Doctor looked at Rita who nodded then turned to Martha hugging her as the Doctor slowly made his way back to Donna who was standing just a little from the TARDIS.

"Bye, Stone." She softly smiled hugging the Time Lady. "Anytime you need me just ring." She looked at the Time Lady sternly showing she was serious.

"I will." She nodded. "As soon as the Doctor and I have 'settled' in a sense and everything is sorted with a date for the wedding I'll call you, send out an invitation for you and your family if they want to come." She smiled glancing down at her ring sighing happily.

"Of cause, I'm sure they will love to come. Until then." Martha beamed hugging her once more.

"Goodbye Martha." She nodded the both of them slowly walked away from each other the Doctor took the Stones hand lacing his fingers with hers as they slowly walked back to the TARDIS.

The TARDIS was silent with Donna in her room the Doctor alone in the console room after the Time Lady locked herself in her own room wanting to be alone, as much as she would love to stay with the Doctor and help him, she needed to be alone to think. Swallowing thickly the Doctor forced himself to go to her, she was alone at a time where she shouldn't be, no one should; to be truthful he needed her right now just as much as she needed him. Gently knocking on her door he heard the faint murmurs of her inside her voice sounding thick from crying. Upon entering he saw fresh tears on her face, her pillow damp and her hair a mess from the time where she had gently pulled on it trying to take away the pain in her head from constantly crying away. "Oh, my love" he murmured slowly moving aside towards the bed sitting her up and pulling her to his chest a moment before her eyes began to sting with new tears all over again. The Doctor breathed deeply as trickles of tears slowly began to fall from her eyes while he tried to stop his so he could comfort her. The Doctor moved around with her in his arms still before he was lying on the bed and pulling her closer to him once more knowing that was she no doubt tired from the long day she had been through. They stayed there together tears now falling down both of their cheeks as they silently mourned the loss of their Jenny. No soon after they were curled up together in her room they fell asleep using each other to stay warm and to chase away the nightmares, scared of being alone throughout their pain.


	19. The Unicorn and the Wasp

After the pain of losing Jenny the Doctor discovered just how much it had hurt the Time Lady, she didn't reply to Rita. The only time she did actually reply was when the Doctor addressed her as the Stone. It deeply broke his hearts to see her this hurt as if she didn't feel herself to be called that name anymore. 'The Stone' originally started out as just a nickname everyone called her when she was a child. Most of the older children thought it was funny and teasing to call her something that meant something cold and rough, it was what she went all through the academy as even when she met the Doctor she was called that. Even by him. The Time Lord then found her one day, teary eyed and sniffing, lightly wiping her nose with her sleeve in the academy library the Doctor got concerned about her before she finally explained what was wrong. Determined to help his best friend he sat her down and forced it out of her. His eyes widened realising that the nickname was not what he first thought it was. "A Ruby is also a stone and they're beautiful." The Doctor slightly blushed and her cheeks burned up with his. "No matter what they call you that always is what I mean when I call you Stone, a beautiful ruby" The young Time Lord warmly smiled before it became a large grin on his face seeing his friend smiling at him again before he slightly froze feeling her arms wrap around his neck in a tight hug, the words: "Thank you Theta" being mumbled into his chest.

The Stone hadn't left the TARDIS for almost a month after the death of Jenny, she refused to go on any sort of adventure with the Doctor and Donna, it certainly shocked the Time Lord. She didn't leave her room for a good week and a half until the Doctor had to try and drag her out himself. Even Donna couldn't get her out. Groaning and not agreeing to the Doctor's ideas she started to try and pull her self out of his grip and head back to her room. That was all until the Doctor pushed her up against a wall trapping the Time Lady and refusing to move until she agreed to try and go somewhere.

After the Doctor started to run round the TARDIS himself hitting buttons and pulling levers the Stone seemed to have become slightly better seeing that he clearly was getting better himself. "Doctor, are you going to tell us where we are going?" The Stone asked crossing her arms and leaning against the console. "Sweetheart, I'm not in the mood for surprises."

"I promise you, you will love this." He flashed her a grin then took her hand running towards the doors Donna following behind them.

They stepped outside to be just inside the grounds of a grand old manor house. The Doctor took a deep breath in grinning. "Oh, smell that air. Grass and lemonade." He paused for a moment in thought. "And a little bit of mint. A hint of mint." He nodded at the Stone. "Must be the 1920's."

"1926 I believe." The Stone hummed.

"You can tell what year it is just by smelling?" Donna looked between them not believing.

"Oh, yeah." The Doctor nodded.

"Took the Doctor longer to learn than it did for me" the Stone chuckled patting his arm. "Used to get the dates completely wrong in the academy, there was one time where he wouldn't stop sneezing because he breathed in a load of dust and wouldn't stop for almost 15 minutes." She laughed patting his arm seeing that he had turned a slight pinkish colour. "It was quiet amusing."

"May I remind you of that time when you screamed so loudly from the Master terrifying you so much that you refused to let go of my arm until he swore on Rassilon that he wouldn't do it again?." He smirked.

"Yeah well, it didn't help with the stories you had told me the day before" She grumbled. "Plus we were only kids back then!" She pinched the bridge of her nose her cheeks now turning a slight pinkish colour matching the Doctors.

"Or maybe you both just know because that big vintage car coming up the drive gave it away." Donna cut in as an open topped black car turned onto the gravel in front of the house. The car then stopped and two servants came out, a butler and a footman.

"Come on." The Doctor whispered to the girls leading the way to a shrubbery where they began to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"The Professor's baggage, Richard. Step lively." A man ordered a man.

They watched an older driver get out of the car and removed his goggles

"Good afternoon, Professor Peach."

"Hello, Greeves, old man."

Hearing a bell they noticed a man dressed as a vicar ride up the gravel on a bike. "Ah, Reverend." Professor Peach greeted.

"Professor Peach." The Reverend nodded. "Beautiful day. The Lord's in his heaven, all's right with the world."

"Reverend Golightly. Lady Eddison requests you make yourselves comfortable in your rooms. Cocktails will be served on the lawn from half past four."

"You go on up. I need check something in the library."

"Oh?" He raised a brow.

"Alone."

"It's supposed to be a party. All this work will be the death of you."

"Never mind Planet Zog. A party in the nineteen twenties, that's more like it." Donna raised a brow at the Time Lords.

"The trouble is," he hummed. "we haven't been invited." He then broke out in a grin holding up his psychic paper. "Oh, I forgot. Yes, we have."

"Okay, maybe you were right Doctor." The Stone rolled her eyes as he smirked at her. "Come on we can't exactly go dressed like this." She chuckled heading in the direction of the TARDIS.

The Doctor quietly groaned leaning against the TARDIS waiting for both of the girls to finish getting ready. He never could understand how it took them _both_ almost half an hour to just change, he expected it from Donna but the Stone? Never. Even after she had explained it to him multiple times on multiple occasions he never could understand.

"We'll be late for cocktails." He said through the door of the TARDIS knocking on it and shaking his head. Donna then walked out wearing a black beaded dress suitable for the time period. She raised a brow. "What do you think? Flapper or slapper?"

"Flapper." He nodded. "You look lovely." The Doctor then frowned not seeing his fiancée anywhere. "Where's the Stone?" He questioned before the TARDIS door opened again and she stepped out wearing a quiet chic and elegant party dress for the Time period with black sequins, the colour of the dress lightened the further down it went ending at the bottom with a soft white. The dress held lace at the bottom with beautiful floral details all over. She wore black slip on flats still not liking the idea of heels at all, with her hair slightly curled. She wore no lipstick and a small amount of mascara.

The Doctor swallowed hard resisting the urge to push her up against the TARDIS right then and there. Something both Time Lords knew Donna would not appreciate witnessing at all. She gave a slight twirl then raised a brow at the Doctor who just stood there staring. "Well...?" The Doctor continued to blink then shook his head.

"Sorry." He muttered. "You look beautiful." He softly smiled lightly kissing her lips for a moment then placed out his arm for her to link through his.

"Now I believe you said something about cocktails?" She raised a brow Donna nodded in agreement.

"So I did." He grinned starting to walk along.

"Look sharp." An older Indian woman no doubt the house keeper ordered. "We have guests."

"Good afternoon." The Doctor gave a cheery smile.

"Drinks, sir? Madams?"

"Sidecar, please." Donna nodded.

The Doctor raised his brow at the Stone who shrugged. The Doctor slightly nodded knowing exactly what she meant by her shrug. "Two limes and soda," he nodded at the man "thank you."

"May I announce Lady Clemency Eddison." A man spoke up as an older woman walked in.

"Lady Eddison." The Doctor broke out into a smile as if he had known the woman all his life. The Stone bit her lip holding back a laugh at the look the woman gave him as he held out his hand for her to shake.

"Forgive me," she tried to think if she knew them at all, "but who exactly might you be, and what are you doing here?"

"I'm the Doctor." He then looked at the Stone. "This is Rita, my fiancée." He nodded at the Stone finding it would be easier just to say her name was Rita for now.

"You own a beautiful house." The Stone smiled slight trying to get the woman to warm up to them, something that was obviously working at the pleased look on the woman's face.

"This is our friend is miss Donna Noble... of the Chiswick Nobles."

"Good afternoon, my lady." Donna attempted to use a posh British accent. "Topping day, what?" The Time Lords began exchanging a look while the Stone attempted to continue looking serious and not burst out into laughter. "Spiffing. Top hole."

The Doctor shook his head whispering to Donna. "No, no, no, no, no. No, don't do that." The red head went to open her mouth to say something else which was then shot down by the Doctor once more. "Don't."

"We were thrilled to receive your invitation, my lady." The Doctor flashed his psychic paper at Lady Eddison. "We met at the Ambassador's reception."

"Doctor, Rita, how could I forget you both?" She sent them warm smiles as if she actually knew them. "But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose."

"A unicorn?" The Doctors eyes lit up as he looked around. "Brilliant. Where?"

 _"Sweetheart I don't think she meant an actual unicorn."_ She chuckled shaking her head slightly.

" _The_ Unicorn." Lady Eddison said. "The jewel thief? Nobody knows who he is." She explained. "He's just struck again. Snatched Lady Babbington's pearls right from under her nose."

"Funny place to wear pearls," Donna commented taking her drink the footman held on a tray.

"May I announce Colonel Hugh Curbishley, the Honourable Roger Curbishley." The butler gained the groups attention. The younger man walked in pushing an older man presumably his father in a wheelchair.

"My husband, and my son." Lady Eddison smiled

"Forgive me for not rising." The older man said. "Never been the same ever since that flu epidemic back in eighteen."

"My word, you are a super lady." A younger man said to Donna who continued to use a posh accent.

"Oh, I like the cut of your jib." Donna faintly blushed. "Chin, chin."

"Hello. I'm the Doctor this is my fiancée Rita." The Doctor shook the man's hand as the Stone nodded sending a friendly smile.

"How do you do?" He shook the Doctors hand warmly.

"Very well." The Doctor smiled sending him a slight glare seeing the way he looked at the Stone before.

"Your usual, sir?" The butler asked.

"Ah. Thank you, Davenport." He nodded. "Just how I like it."

The Doctor, the Stone and Donna watched as Lady Eddison moved over chatting to her husband. "How come she's an Eddison, but her husband and son are Curbishleys?" Donna quietly asked the Time Lords.

"The Eddison title descends through her." The Doctor explained. "One day Roger will be a lord."

"Robina Redmond." The butler announced as a fashionable young woman walked across the grass to the group of people.

"She's the absolute hit of the social scene." Lady Eddison informed. "A must. Miss Redmond."

"Spiffing to meet you, at last, my lady. What super fun."

"Reverend Arnold Golightly." The older priest walked over smiling at them all.

"Ah, Reverend. How are you?" Roger asked. "I heard about the church last Thursday night. Those ruffians breaking in."

"You apprehended them, I hear." Huge the man in the wheelchair asked.

"As the Christian Fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses. Quite literally." He nodded at them.

"Some of these young boys deserve a descent thrashing," Roger commented as the butler took his drink setting it on the tray. "Couldn't agree more, sir."

"Typical. All the decent men are on the other bus."

"Or Time Lords." The Doctor said sending the Time Lady a wink as she shook her head at him finding him to be amusing.

"You do try don't you Doctor?" She chuckled patting his arm "I would say you are far more than decent but your ego is big enough." She laughed at the pout on his face before he broke out into a grin.

"You basically just admitted it." He hummed kissing her cheek. She rolled her eyes and continued to listen to the conversation happening not so far away from her.

"Now, my lady. What about this special guest you promised us?" Roger asked Lady Eddison.

"Here she is." Lady Eddison looked up as a woman around her 30's walked over waving the group off as they clapped the Doctor, the Stone and Donna quietly watching. "A lady who needs no introduction."

"No, no, please, don't." She waved them off. "Thank you, Lady Eddison. Honestly, there's no need."

The Doctor shook the woman's hand. "Agatha Christie." She said the Doctors eyes widening and lighting up at the Stone's brows raised not showing as much excitement as the Doctor.

"What about her?" Donna asked.

"That's me."

"No." She looked at the woman shocked. "You're kidding."

"Agatha Christie." The Doctor hastily shook her hand grinning widely. "I was just talking about you the other day." He nodded over to the Stone. "I said, I bet she's brilliant. I'm the Doctor and this is Rita as well as our friend Donna." He then started to ramble on. "Oh, I love your stuff. What a mind. You fool me every time. Well... almost every time. Well... once or twice. Well... Well. But it was a good once."

"I'm sorry about him." The Stone interrupted sending the Doctor an amused look. "He rambles on sometimes if you nod he soon stops." She smirked the Doctor sent her a slightly playful glare.

"You make a rather unusual couple." Said Agatha.

"Oh, no, no, no, no." The Doctor shook his head assuming he was talking about the redhead. "We're not married." He glanced at Donna, the Stone trying to hold in her laugher.

"We're not a couple." Donna protested.

"Well, obviously not." She said then looked over at the Stone. "I was actually talking about the two of you." She glanced between the Time Lords. "I see you have an engagement ring." She glanced down at the Stones hand for a moment piercing together how close they both were with the ring on the Stones hand. The Doctor broke out into a smile glancing down at the ring himself seeing the white stone sparkle ever so slightly.

"Oh." He broadly smiled, "you don't miss a trick."

"I'd stay that way if I were you," Agatha commented quietly to the three. "The thrill is in the chase, never in the capture."

"Mrs Christie, I'm so glad you could come." Huge Curbishley spoke up. "I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books." He then looked around a little. "Er, is, er, Mister Christie not joining us?"

"Is he needed?" She questioned. "Can't a woman make her own way in the world?"

"I knew I liked her for something." The Stone muttered to the Doctor grinning ever so slightly. If she hated one thing more than the bloody pepper pots it was someone under estimating her or someone else.

"Don't give my wife ideas." Huge jokingly warned her.

"Now Mrs Christie, I have a question," Roger asked. "Why a Belgian detective?"

"Excuse me, Colonel." The Doctor walked over to the man borrowing his newspaper, the Stone followed looking over the newspaper with him. The two frowned slightly seeing the date and briefly glance at one another before looking back at the newspaper while listening to the conversation going on around them.

"Belgians make such lovely buns," Agatha replied a moment later the group started to laugh, the Stone smiled slightly hearing Donna forcing a laugh with a hint of it being genuine.

"I say," Roger cut in after the laughter died down, "where on Earth's Professor Peach? He'd love to meet Mrs Christie."

"Said he was going to the library." The reverend informed them. The Doctor gestured for Donna to come over to the two Time Lords. The Doctor wanted to explain to her know ng fully well that the Tome Lasy already knew what the date meant.

"Miss Chandrakala, would you go and collect the Professor?" Lasy Eddison asked. The woman nodded before turning and leaving only speaking before she headed off. "At once, Milady."

"The date on this newspaper." The Doctor quietly said to Donna just loud enough for the human woman to hear over the conversations buzzing in front of the house.

"What about it?" Donna frowned looking at the Stone for help.

"It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared." The Stone said helping the red head understand.

"She'd just discovered her husband was having an affair. " the Doctor said watching Agatha happily chatting.

"You'd never think to look at her, smiling away."

"Well, she's British and moneyed. That's what they do." He said. "They carry on. Except for this one time. No one knows exactly what happened. She just vanished. Her car will be found tomorrow morning by the side of a lake. Ten days later, Agatha Christie turns up in a hotel in Harrogate. Said she'd lost her memory. She never spoke about the disappearance till the day she died, but whatever it was..."

"It's about to happen."

"Right here," the Stone started off.

"Right now." The Doctor finished.

"Professor!" Miss Chandrakala shouted running out of the house waving her arms about in horror causing the group to turn around to her. "The library! Murder! Murder!"

The Doctor and the Stone ran inside with Donna behind them, Agatha followed. They spotted the body on the floor. "Oh, my goodness." The reverend looked in horror.

"Bashed on the head. Blunt instrument." The Doctor said looking closely. "Watch broke as he fell. Time of death was quarter past four." He said lightly hitting the watch with the back of his finger.

The Doctor and the Stone moved to look over the paper on the desk. "A bit of pipe," Donna whispered to them. "Call me Hercules Poirot, but I reckon that's blunt enough."

The Doctor and the Stone look around and notice Agatha discreetly looking down and placing a small piece of paper in her bag. _"Ooo, did you see that Doctor?"_ the Stone telepathically asked. _"Our dear friend Mrs Christie just took some evidence."_ The Doctor slightly nodded in reply before turning round to the others.

"Nothing worth killing for in that lot. Dry as dust."

"Hold on." Donna frowned. "The Body In The Library? I mean, Professor Peach, in the library, with the lead piping?"

"It does remind me of that old board game..." the Stone trailed off in thought thinking back remembering to a late night in the UNIT HQ when they were stuck on Earth, the two Time Lords had became bored and managed to find the old board game, not realising it needed more than two players the two of them scanned over the rules and began.

"You've played Cludo?" Donna looked at the blonde raising a brow.

"The Doctor and I were extremely bored one time and we played it a couple of times, we both kept figuring it out in under half an hour at exactly the same time, I still believe someone was cheating." She glanced over to the Doctor who shook his head at her.

"You refused to play anything else." He protested.

"Well, we couldn't play trivial pursuit because that was just too easy." She scoffed before the other guests forced their way into the room.

"Let me see." Miss Eddison said forcing her way through.

"Out of my way." The butler said.

"Gerald?" Lady Eddison said in horror.

"Saints preserve us." The Reverend looking away gasping.

"Oh, how awful."

"Someone should call the police," Agatha suggested.

The Stones eys widened noticing something on the floor that was definitely not human. _"Doctor!"_ She shouted telepathically to him making the Doctor slightly flinch _. "It's not human, stop them!"_

"You don't have to." The Doctor quickly cut in flashing his psychic paper at the group. "Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor. Rita known, As the Stone and miss Noble" he nodded at the two of them. "They are the plucky young girls who help me out."

"I say." Lady Eddison nodded.

"Mrs Christie was right. Go into the sitting room. I will question each of you in turn."

"Come along. Do as the Doctor says." Agatha led the other out of the room. "Leave the room undisturbed."

"The plucky young girls who help me out?" Donna hissed at him as the Stone crouched to the ground the Doctor following.

"No policewomen in 1926." He said not looking up as he and the Time Lady looked at the floor.

"It was a brilliant cover up though." The Stone backed him up. "Thought of very quickly, well-done sweetheart." She kissed his cheek making him smile slightly as he brought out a pencil.

"Why don't we phone the real police?" Donna asked raising a brow watching them on the floor.

"The last thing we want right now is a police officer going around destroying the murder scene." The Stone explained while the Doctor scraped some gunge off of the floorboards. "We have the Doctor for that." She added making him playfully narrow his eyes at her.

"Especially now since the Stone found this." He added. "Morphic residue."

He stood up holding the pencil showing Donna. "Morphic?" She repeated. "Doesn't sound very 1926."

"It's left behind when certain species genetically re-encode." He explained.

"The murderer's an alien?" Donna asked.

"Which therefore means one of that lot is an alien in human form." The Stone said.

"Yeah, but think about it." The red head said. "There's a murder, a mystery, and Agatha Christie."

"So?" He raised a brow at her swiping the residue in a test tube. "Happens to me and the Stone all the time."

"No, but isn't that a bit weird?" She questioned. "Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. I mean, that's like meeting Charles Dickens and he's surrounded by ghosts at Christmas."

"Actually I think I you did tell me something like that happened to you before." The Stone looked at the Doctor who nodded.

"Something like that."

"Oh, come on!" The red head rolled her eyes at them both not having it at all. "It's not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy." She then thought about it for a moment as the Stone gave her an odd look. "Could we? Noddy's not real. Is he? Tell me there's no Noddy."

"There's no Noddy." The Doctor shook his head at her then took the Time Ladys hand walking out if the library.

"Next thing you know, you'll be telling me it's like Murder On The Orient Express, and they all did it," Donna muttered.

"Murder on the Orient Express?" Agatha spoke up from where she was standing out side the library.

"Ooo, yeah. One of your best." Donna said.

"But not yet." The Doctor muttered.

"Marvellous idea, though." Agatha thought aloud.

"Yeah. Tell you what." Donna said grinning. "Copyright Donna Noble, okay?"

"Anyway. Agatha, the Stone and I will question the suspects." He looked at the Time Lady who nodded. "Donna, you search the bedrooms. Look for clues." He then lowered his voice. "Any more residue. You'll need this." He handed her a large magnifying glass.

"Is that for real?" She looked at him like he was joking.

"Go on." He nodded at her. "You're ever so plucky." She took the magnifying glass and headed upstairs.

"Right then." The Doctor nodded. "Solving a murder mystery with Agatha Christie. Brilliant." He beamed.

"How like a man to have fun while there's disaster all around him." Agatha muttered.

"Not the first time someone said that to him." The Stone glanced at the Doctor. "But that's just him." She flashed a grin at him.

"You're no better." He protested.

"Ah, I don't show my excitement as easily as you do sweetheart." She patted his arm. He raised a brow at her. "Okay, sometimes I don't." He then smiled at her linking arms with the Time Lady again.

"I'll work with you, gladly," Agatha nodded at them both, "but for the sake of justice, not your own amusement."

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Don't worry, we can amuse each other." The Doctor grinned at the Time Ladys comment, they then followed Agatha into the sitting room.

"Now then, Reverend. Where were you at a quarter past four?" The Doctor questioned leaning against he chair the Stone was sitting in holding a pen and paper waiting for anything she deemed interesting to be mentioned.

"Let me think." He thought for a moment. "Why yes, I remember. I was unpacking in my room."

"No alibi, then." The Doctor said.

"You were alone?" Agatha questioned.

"With the Lord, one is never truly alone, Doctor?" He replied.

"And where were you?" The Doctor asked Roger.

"Let me think. I was. Oh, yes." He started to nod. "I was taking a constitutional in the fields behind the house. Just taking a stroll, that's all."

"Alone?"

"Oh, yes, all alone." He nodded. "Totally alone. Absolutely alone. Completely." The Doctor and the Stone glanced at each other not believing him for a second. "All of the time." He continued to nod. "I wandered lonely as the proverbial cloud. There was no one else with me. Not at all. Not ever."

"And where were you?" The Doctor asked miss Redmond.

"At a quarter past four. Well, I went to the toilet when I arrived, and then er." She paused for a moment. "Oh, yes, I remember. I was preparing myself. Positively buzzing with excitement about the party and the super fun of meeting Lady Eddy."

"We've only got your word for it." The Doctor raised a brow at her.

"That's your problem, not mine."

"And where were you, sir?"

"Quarter past four?" The Colonel repeated thinking. "Dear me, let me think." He then nodded slightly. "Ah, yes, I remember. I was in me study, reading through some military memoirs. Fascinating stuff. Took me back to my days in the army. Started reminiscing. Mafeking, you know." He started to trail off. "Terrible war."

"Colonel, snap out of it." The Doctor spoke up.

"I was in me study-"

"No, no, no." He cut the man off shaking her head. "Right out of it."

"Oh, sorry." He apologised. "Got a bit carried away there."

"And where were you at a quarter past four, my lady?" The Doctor asked Lady Eddison.

"Now, let me see. Yes, I remember. I was sitting in the Blue Room, taking my afternoon tea." She replied. "It's a ritual of mine. I needed to gather strength for the duty of hostess. I then proceeded to the lawn where I met you, Doctor, and I said, who exactly might you be and what are you doing here? And you said, I am the Doctor. This is Rita, my fiancé."

"Yes, yes. You can stop now." The Doctor interrupted. "We were there for that bit."

"Of course." She nodded before starting to hiccup multiple times. "Excuse me." She apologised.

The Doctor was pacing around the room, Rita watching him from the chair while Agatha paced around as well.

"No alibis for any of them." She stated. "The Secret Adversary remains hidden. We must look for a motive. Use ze little grey cells."

"Oh, yes, little grey cells." He nodded. "Good old Poirot. You know, the Stone and I have been to Belgium." He nodded over at her as he slumped down in the chair they had used to question everyone with earlier. "Yeah. I remember we were deep in the Ardennes, trying to find Charlemagne. He'd been kidnapped by an insane computer." The Doctor then started to explain about the small adventure they had been on the Stone adding every few moments, they both recalled making their way through a woodland area the Doctor holding a machete while the Stone had a bow in and quiver slung over her shoulder following him.

"Doctor?" Agatha said. "Doctor." He jumped slightly the Stone doing the same.

"Sorry." The Time Lords muttered.

"Charlemagne lived centuries ago."

"We have both got a very good memory."

"For such an experienced detective, you missed a big clue." She said to him.

"If you mean that bit of paper you took out of the fire thinking we didn't see you?" The Stone cut in smiling smugly walking over and leaning again the chair the Doctor was sitting in crossing her arms.

"You were looking the other way." She frowned at the Time Lady.

"Yeah, but we saw you reflected in the glass of the bookcase." Th Doctor added.

"You crafty pair." She looked between them. They both glanced at each other then back at Agatha slightly smirking. She then reached into her pocket and brought the paper out. "This is all that was left."

The Doctor quickly stood up moving over to the woman the Time Lords both looking over her shoulder at the small riped paper with one of the letters slightly dissolved. "What's that first letter?" The Doctor frowned. "N or M?"

"It's an M." Agatha confirmed. "The word is maiden."

"Maiden!" The Doctor shouted making both the girls slightly jump also earning a whacking on the back of his head by the Time Lady for making her jump like that. Sending an apologetic look he then turned back to Agatha. "What does that mean?"

"We're still no further forward." She said. "Our Nemesis remains at large. Unless Miss Noble's found something."

"There's only one way to find out." The Stone said taking the Doctors hand as he led them out of the sitting room heading in the direction to head upstairs where they had left the red head earlier on.

"Doctor! Stone!" They heard the cries of the red head when they just reached the stairs, they sprinted up them as fast as they could trying to find what room the cry had come from.

"Doctor! Stone!" They heard again then saw Donna and ran over to her.

"It's a giant wasp." She gasped looking at them wide eyed.

"What do you mean, a giant wasp?" The Doctor frowned at her.

"I mean, a wasp that's giant." She hissed slightly shaking.

"It's only a silly little insect." Agatha frowned at her.

"When I say giant, I don't mean big, I mean flipping enormous!" She screamed.

"She's right." The Stone glanced down seeing the massive sting stuck in the door. The Doctor opened the door stepping in and looking around.

"It's gone." He moved over to the window. "Buzzed off."

"But that's fascinating" Agatha went to touch it the Stone pulled her away. "Best not to touch it." She warned. "We don't know what it is yet, do you have any more of those test tubes Doctor?" She asked as he crouched down beside her. He held one out as she scooped some of the gunk from the stinger in the test tube he held out using a pencil.

"Giant wasp." He muttered. "Well, tons of amorphous insectivorous lifeforms, but none in this galactic vector."

"I think I understood some of those words. Enough to know that you're completely potty."

"Lost its sting, though. That makes it defenceless." Donna said the Stone shook her head as the Doctor replied. "Oh, a creature this size? Got to be able to grow a new one."

"Would be regrown in a couple of hours to a day, we don't know the exact size so I would have no idea." She shrugged.

"Can we return to sanity?" Agatha looked between the Time Lords. "There are no such things as giant wasps."

"Exactly. So. The question is, what's it doing here?" He said.

The four headed down the stairs after the Time Lords collected up all of what they needed. They suddenly stopped hearing a horrific scream. The Doctor grabbed the Time Ladys hand the both of them sprinting in the direction of the cry before running to the side of Miss Chandrakala who lay on the ground with a large stone laying on her, the woman looking weak and near death.

"The poor little child." She murmured as the two Time Lords got to her the Stone swallowing thickly as she remembered the events of only a few weeks ago.

The Doctor glanced at the Time Lady worryingly before hearing a faint buzzing and looking upwards before jumping up seeing what Donna had described before, a giant wasp hovered in the air with a new stinger what grew back much faster than the Time Lady had guessed. "There!" The Doctor shouted pointing to it with his free hand. The wasp realising it had been spotted flew back into the building. "Come on!" The Doctor shouted as he and the Time Lady ran back inside the house climbing the staircase to try and find it.

"Hey, this makes a change," Donna said breathing heavily, trying to keep up with the Doctor and the Stone. "There's a monster, and we're chasing it."

"It can't be a monster." Agatha shook her head. "It's a trick. They Do It With Mirrors."

They stopped at the corridor above the stairs the Doctor holding his hand out keeping it in front of the Time Lady keeping her behind him as he stepped forward slightly beaming away at the create. "By all that's holy." Agatha gasped.

"Oh, but you are wonderful." The Doctor's smile grew before falling again as the wasp crawled under the arch on the ceiling then started to hover in the air. "Now, just stop." The Doctor warned taking the Stones hand yet again. "Stop there." The wasp then lunged at them the Doctor diving pushing himself and the Stone again the wall as it scrapped it's stinger on the wall, Donna and Agatha moving in the same direction as the Doctor had.

"Oi, fly boy!" Donna shouting raising the magnifying glass. The wasp slowly backed away scared of the item before flying away.

"Don't let it get away!" The Doctor shouted running ahead to chase it the Stone just behind him. "Quick, before it reverts back to human form. Where are you?!" He shouted. "Come on. There's nowhere to run." He screamed looking between all of the guest doors. "Show yourself!" All at once the guest doors then opened each one of them having a look of confusion on their faces. the Stone groaned slightly as the Doctor did the same. "Oh, that's just cheating."

The Doctor and the Stone headed back to the TARDIS to find out what the residue in the test tube was. Finding the whole thing slightly boring and starting to get a headache from the Time Lords repeatedly finishing each other's sentences something Donna always wondered how they both knew what the other one was going to say next. She then snuck out to find Agatha Christie.

"Hmm." The Doctor hummed holding up the test tube.

"What is it?" The Stone asked crossing her arms and leaning against the console.

"It's not finished yet." He shook his head at how impatient she could get at times, sometimes even worse than he could.

"What are you doing then?" She questioned raising a brow at the Time Lord staring at the substance in the test tube.

"Am I not allowed to look at it?" He asked.

"Of course you can look at it." She laughed shaking her head at him.

"I was actually thinking about you to be fair." She raised a brow her cheeks slightly turning a light pink colour as he continued to talk. "Are you okay?"

"Doctor I'm alright."She tried to give him a look telling him that she was completely fine but she knew that he could see right through the act when he raised a single brow at her. "Okay." She sighed. "I _will_ be alright." She corrected herself. "I just..." She shrugged trailing off then bringing herself back to the conversation at hand not realising that she was slowly walking around the console now. "I just need to take my mind off it." She stood in front of the Doctor looking up at him.

He sighed placing a finger under her chin and gently tilting her head up further. "I know you will but I just wanted to make sure, I know what you can be like at times." He cheekily grinned at her and slowly leant forward to kiss her before jumping slightly and groaning as the monitor beeped signalling that the TARDIS had discovered what the substance was. Chuckling a little the Time Lady moved the monitor around then raised a brow. The Doctor placed his chin on her shoulder as they read the Gallifreyan symbols on the screen. "Vespiform." The Doctor muttered frowning slightly before it came to him and he shouted. "Of course!" The Time Lady jumped narrowing her eyes at him then hit his arm wishing that he would stop suddenly shouting without warning almost giving her a heart attack, she would much rather both her hearts were working and not having to be hit on the chest or back to get one of them to start again. Wincing slightly at the pain the Stone rolled her eyes at how much of a child he was acting at the moment with the look he was giving her.

"Come on." She rolled her eyes at him again the Doctor still looking at her pouting slightly. "We need to go find Donna." She laced her fingers with his and started heading for the door before he pulled her back. Slightly frowning she didn't understand before seeing the slight twinkle in his eye as he wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her closer to him and kissed her lips softly.

"We were interrupted before." He cheekily grinned after they separated, he then pulled her away towards the door picking up the test tube with the remaining Vespiform sting on the way.

"You are so cheeky, Doctor." The Stone muttered shaking her head.

"You secretly like it." He gave her another cheeky grin as her cheeks coloured a little while she shook her head.

"Come on." She muttered not confirming or denying his previous statement causing the Doctor's grin to grow even further as she exited the TARDIS.


End file.
